Wildehopps Detectives: Tricks and Treats
by Fanficteller
Summary: Two days prior Halloween, Judy and Nick are visiting at Judy's old friend to spend Halloween with her family. Everything looks fine at first, until suddenly happens a mysterious candy theft which surprisingly brings charges against Judy. Nick has to find out the truth behind the theft before Halloween night passes or else its "Hero Bunny Cop Gets Busted For Theft" in the headlines.
1. Chapter 1

**ZOOTOPIA**

 **OFFICERS JUDY HOPPS AND NICK WILDE'S DETECTIVE FANFIC-SERIES**

 **FANFIC-EPISODE 1.**

* * *

 _ **Sometimes, for some reason,**_

 _ **the criminals just don't get busted.**_

 _ **But we have these,**_

 _ **two little officers,**_

 _ **to make sure they got jailed.**_

 _ **No matter what kind of is their every case,**_

 _ **they'll solve it´till the end.**_

 _ **...**_

 ** _They, they, they, they, they, they're Judy and Nick,_**

 ** _team Wildehopps._**

 ** _They, they, they, they, they, they're Judy and Nick,_**

 ** _ZPD's finest cops._**

 ** _Judy and Nick will always success in case,_**

 ** _and put the villains to face the law and justice_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _They, they, they, they, they, they're Judy and Nick,_**

 ** _team Wildehopps._**

 ** _They, they, they, they, they, they're Judy and Nick,_**

 ** _ZPD's finest cops._**

 ** _Judy and Nick will always success in case,_**

 ** _and then they'll be hailed as a heroes_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY'RE JUDY AND NICK,_**

 ** _TEAM WILDEHOPPS_**

 ** _THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY'RE JUDY AND NICK,_**

 ** _ZBD'S FINEST COPS_**

* * *

 **Hi there! I've for a while considered of starting** **OFFICERS JUDY HOPPS AND NICK WILDE'S DETECTIVE FANFIC-SERIES, where our favorite officer duo** **adventures in the exciting world of detectives, taking cases, solving the mysterious crimes and hunting down the criminals. My first such of focuses on Halloween, though there's still a month before the thirtieth day of October, I think that it's better start a month earlier because there's a several upcoming chapters incoming. I wish you good reading and waiting for Halloween.  
** **P.S.**  
 **\- I do not own Zootopia nor its characters, but Disney does.  
\- I own only my own characters in this story.**

* * *

 **TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 1.**

On their well-deserved week off, Judy and Nick were at the moment visiting an old rabbit friend, who lives in small rabbit warren-like house, which is located in Zootopia's Savanna Central.

The old and widowed rabbit woman is called Barbara by name and she's the mother of dozen of rabbit children.

Barbara was one of Judy's good childhood friends from Bunnyburrow, who had moved into Zootopia along with her own family a couple years before Judy.

Judy and Barbara had by a chance crossed the paths with each others two weeks earlier in Savanna Central's Central Park, where Judy was exercising with Nick by jogging through the park's jogging routes until they met Barbara who was walking with the pushchair and with four a new rabbit babies, and the both bunnies were so happy to see each others once again.

And by Barbara's polite request for both of them, Judy and Nick had agreed together to stay with Barbara's family over Halloween and of Barbara's request, they promised to be with her children when they leave to beg for candy on Halloween night, much to Barbara's children's dismay, commenting that they're not little children and they do not need adults to watch after them, but were powerless to get their mother to change her minds... neither Judy's nor Nick's, due to them being a cops and seeing watching over them as one of their free-time duties.

Only two more nights for Halloween.

When Judy was gone in the Shopping Paradise, Nick was spending his time with Barbara's children by watching the old horror films with them, while eating the pizza which Judy and Nick had brought with them for the movie night with Barbara's children...

...playing hide-and-seek game with Barbara's children by Nick acting like the feral fox (but not that feral like back in the Natural History Museum during the Nighthowler case in the children's presence) tracking and hunting down the rabbit kids.

...helping them to prepare their house for the Halloween night, for example placing fake graves, carved pumpkins, fake ghosts, skeletons, black cats, bats, spiders and spider webs everywhere of their home's garden...

...and placing even some horror movie figures all around of the house. Such like the witch-dressed cheetah doll flying with the broom above of the roof top, the vampire-dressed badger doll rising from its fake-coffin in the front garden, mummified and wrapped weasel dolls to "guard" the gateway of their garden and the savage wolf (zootopian-version of werewolf) doll to stalking passengers from behind of the trees.

Nick also told Barbara's children in the living room exciting stories of the cases he and Judy had solved together, after they solved a threacherous sheep mayor Bellwether's Night Howler Incident over one and half years ago.

Nick even told them about his and Judy's a desperate and dangerous attempt to trick Bellwether to confess her crimes against the predators in the Natural History Museum after they had found she was behind of everything. To Barbara's children, that story was half detective story and half horror story, but they still enjoyed of it.

It was the favorite story of Nick's big rabbit fan, Skippy, the energetic seven-years-old white-furred rabbit, who idolized Nick Wilde even more than what his brothers and sisters did.

He had even started to collect from the newspapers the pics and headlines of many past cases of Nick and Judy, which have been notified in the newspapers, adding them to his collection in his room's wall next to his own bed.

And his top favorite case is...

 _Ex-ZPD officer Judy Hopps and prejudged free-time con-artist fox Nick Wilde uncovered the_ _notorious Nighthowler-scheme and Savage-plague, ex-mayor and mastermind Bellwether arrested._

Also Skippy's nine-years-old big sister Sis idolized Nick Wilde, not only because of his reputation as first fox officer and famous police officer with Judy Hopps but also because he looked "so handsome."

Also their five-years-old little sister Tagalong idolized Nick Wilde, and as a proof of it, she held in her arms the fox doll which resembled Nick Wilde.

"Tell us how you captured that mafia-boss Fat-Cougar the last summer!" Skippy encouraged with the eager expression.

"Especially the moment when you and Judy hustled him for good with that very same trick from the Robin Hood-film we watched few months ago together, you remember?" Sis eagerly added.

Nick chuckled at this.

Of course he remembered that case he solved with Judy.

And especially the target of their last big case back in the last summer, Fat-Cougar, pale-gray furred obese Cougar and one of the most notorious mafia-lords, who is still sitting in judgment for smuggling under the darkness of Night the illegal drugs into Zootopia and founded illegal drug trafficking, thus causing the underword criminals, out of the lust for drugs, to launch a massive crime-wave against the banks and convenience store.

Numerous crimes all around of Zootopia had confused ZPD completely for two weeks, during of which ZPD was unable to target of responsibility for the crimes directly to Fat-Cougar and his criminal acticity.

And with the memory that it took two confusing weeks for the ZPD trying to unsuccessfully solve the Missing Mammal Case... and two months for the reason of Night Howler Plague... and yet knowing that only two mammals successfully solved them both in two days, desperate Chief Bogo had decided to entrust the case in his and Judy's paws to solve it.

And after getting work with the case, he and Judy had started their investigation by by checking one of the crime scenes in hope for any tiny yet usable evidence of the criminals.

And after analysing the evidence, which was the one messy feather of the gull filled with the smell of the wastewater from the wastewater sewers in the harbor, he and Judy had headed to the harbor to question some harbor workers about the suspecting activity lately.

Once there, they had crossed paths with the old bear crane operator, who had told them that he was forced by some mob-looking mammals to unload the cargo from their cargo ship named Cat's Whiskers to the train, during of which he had smelled something suspecting from the cargo sacks that smelled like the drugs... which had led him and Judy to the office of the harbor chief to question him about the cargo reports lately, but unfortunately leaving the duo with the blank answer of not having any report about the cargo ship named Cat's Whiskers nor about the cargo it carried with.

However, Nick also remembered that in the next day that their crime investigation got a little barriers.

They at least knew that the possible motivation of the criminals in that crime-wave against the banks and stores was secretly yet illegally into Zootopia smuggled drugs and that the heart of the criminal activity was hiding somewhere in the possession of someone in the harbor...

...but they didn't knew that who was the mastermind of this scheme and that where in the harbor he was hiding with the illegal stuff, as there was many cargo ships and one heart of the criminal acticity.

And they had also located in ZPD Headquaters all the banks and stores that had been robbed - including those banks and stores that still remained untouched - all around of Zootopia in all four districts...

...but they still didn't knew that where the next bank robbery would happen.

And then, by chance, he and Judy had just walked into one of them on their break.

Three armed and into guards dressed kangaroos had attacked into the nearby bank, but their robbery mission was halted by him and Judy as they caught in act by him and Judy with the gunpoint... and their whole robbery mission was completely foiled and the escaping blocked after ZPD reinforcements had arrived to the scene and arrested kangaroos.

The suspected then had been brought to ZPD headquaters for interrogations, where all three of them, through of the drugs side effects, confessed to ZPD the true mastermind, Fat-Cougar, to be behind of the crime-wave and the criminal commercialism with illegally smuggled drugs... even the hideout of the baddies.

It was, according the suspected kangaroos' information, located to the abandoned dock area in the harbor, where was one single abandoned port warehouse in the whole area. and in the next of which was standing abandoned and sealed harbor chief's office building and near of the docks one the giraffe crane. Through between of the giraffe crane and the port warehouse passed the railroad for the cargo trains that led to the underground tunnels, where also was abandoned and sealed tunnel that passed to the wastewater sewers... which served as either Fat-Cougar's secondary hideout or escape route.

 **...**

"And so, in the midnight, Chief Bogo led me, Judy and most of our free fellow officers... along with S.W.A.T team... into the Lion's Den, with everything we got, because we didn't know that how Fat-Cougar was prepared for uninvited guests, cops for example and that how many minions he had in the whole area."

"And, to find out that what we were up against... and in order to steal the evidences we could use against him in the justice... I got an idea by using one of good old Robin Hood's undercover tricks to get past through of the possible guards and into the heart of this criminal activity to get even close of the evidence, using the masks and the midnight darkness to cover our faces from Fat-Cougar and his one hundred and armed mobsters in the area, and..." Nick was about to continue...

...until suddenly, Barbara arrived to the scene, carrrying some baby rabbits in her arms.

"My apologizes to interrupt you, Nicholas, but they should not forget that that happened at midnight and its almost a midnight, meaning that they cannot stay awake any longer." Barbara said after excusing herself.

"So, now all of you, march to the bed." Barbara commanded.

"Aaaaw, mom!" All dozen rabbit children moaned in unison, not willing to go to bed... not just yet, when Nick was getting to the best part of his story.

"Ah, just go, children. We have yet much to do tommorow before Halloween night and you all need some rest for it. And remember, that the diligence will be rewarded the day after tomorrow." Nick said.

"Just listen uncle Nick, children. If you do no work, no reward." Barbara said.

Seeing that the fox officer and their own mother had got upper hand over them and that they had no another choice…

"Okay, mom. Okay uncle Nick." The children said in unision as they stood up and walked as the long line in their bedroom.

Suddenly, Skippy turned around to Nick and jumped backwards with the eager expression.

"When I grow up, I want to be the police officer just like aunt Judy... and I also want the fox partner to myself just like you, uncle Nick." Skippy said as he was about to enter in the bedroom.

Nick chuckled.

"Well, if you want the fox partner, go to Jumbeaux's Café. There you'll find your fox partner being unfairly treated by the sourpuss elephant with prejudice against him or her." Nick said humorously, recalling in his mind the memories of his and Judy's first met. "And wait until he or she senses the feeling of pity in you and hustles you to buy Jumbo-pop for his or her "little fox".

Nick let out the sweet laugh after remembering how he had hustled Judy to buy Jumbo-pop to him and disguised Finnick when they first met.

Skippy winked at him the eye and disappeared into the bedroom.

When Nick and Barbara were at the living room two alone, Barbara turned to Nick.

"Maybe you got a little carried away, Mr. Wilde." Barbara said.

Nick turned to the mother rabbit with a bit confused look in his faces.

"What? Was the joke that bad, Mrs. Barbara." Nick asked.

Barbara, however, shook her head.

"No, it wasn't. It's just. (sigh) You just seems to enjoy a bit too much of that memory where you first met and remorselessly hustled your partner to buy you that gigantic ice cream, when he felt pity for you and your… you know... your so-called "son". And I also do not want my son to have anything to do with the strangers. Barbara said, with a bit scolding tone.

"Oh, c'mon, Mrs. Barbara. We did not know each other at first sight. I may have viewed Judy as a little nuisance with a big dreams at first as well as she viewed me as a con artist that cares no one else than himself... which I in fact was before getting to know each others more better." Nick said, defending himself.

"But Judy at least managed to endure me and my... you know... _super annoying fox presence,_ until I witnessed the true colors of her problematic situation among the ZPD Force, relating much to my own experiences, which made me to make it all up to her." Nick added.

"But if Judy managed to get pass through of it, then so will your son." Nick finished with the wink of his eye at the rabbit mother.

Barbara let out the deep sight and shook slightly her head, knowing well that when she had lost.

Barbara was then about to walk to another room and take the little ones in her arms into their beds, until she turned around and back to Nick.

"You know what, Mr. Wilde? Now I a bit regret that I interrupted you telling that story of your and Judy's last big case. The truth is, I also enjoyed that story."

Nick was quite confused, because he has always though that bunnies are peaceful and peace-loving animals and rather farmers than action heroes and heroiness… with exception of Judy Hopps, who unlikely to another bunnies was always seeking for the action on their work.

"You do?"

Barbara nodded at him with the gentle smile.

Barbara had told to Judy and Nick that her late husband was one of the many victims of the crime-wave caused by Fat-Cougar, whose with the drugs and oversized prices from them brainwashed wolves had attacked to his store and attempted with the violence against the visitors and him to take his own savings which he was about to donate to orphanages. Her husband had instead stood up against the robberies and refused for the orphan animal children to hand over a single dollar to the wolves and that had cost him his shop being burned down and plus his life, leaving his family living as poor since that.

Barbara had thought that her husband died when the wolves lit his shop into fire, but through of the body search, it was revealed that her husband was actually killed by the shot in the head.

Judy and Nick had done to her more than just the great favor, not only returning her husband's savings but also risked their lives to bring that _unspeakable fiend_ in charge of his actions and for the years behind the bars for the illegal drug trafficking and smuggling, masterminding the entire crime-wave and causing the numerous mammals to be either injured or even killed during of the robberies for refusing to give up their savings..

And, as a small token of her appreciation and her growing respect towards Nick's species after the case, Barbara has donated enough money for the orphanage of the orphan foxes, of which Nick was even more than just pleased.

It warmed his heart greatly when more animals started prejudice feelings towards foxes and grown to respect his species even more.

And because of that, Nick has been declared as a friend of Barbara's family.

"I know that its been already several months after that case, but I still do not know how thank you two enough." Barbara said.

Nick just shook his head.

"You have done already, Mrs Barbara. You grew to respect my species and even helped that orphanage of the orphan foxes. That's all what I can get as gratitude from you." Nick said with a bit shy smile.

Barbara smiled gently back at him, before she continued towards her babies room and spent some time in there with her babies.

Ten-fifteen minutes later...

After Barbara had settled them to sleep peacefully in their beds, she appeared back to the living room and was about to head to the kitchen.

Barbara then turned to Nick, who was still relaxing in for the foxes designed armchair, that Barbara had brought to her house only for her to seat, knowing that Nick was a bit too big to sit on for the bunnies designed children chairs.

Nick had opened the television and was watching the late-news from TV.

Barbara noticed the officer-like stenr look on Nick's faces he stared at the news, much to her confusion for...

...for briefly.

Nick had also turned the sound nearly off from TV, not wanting to disturb Barbara's children's sleep in middle of the night.

But, thanks to the bunnies natural super sensitive sense of hearing, Barbara was able to catch with her ears something about...

... _numerous candy thefts happened lately. All thefts targeted at the candy stores. N_ _early no sign of any attempt to break in the stores, nor any clues about the crime. ZPD is confused..._

Barbara thought this was the reason to Nick's stern cop-like expression, though she didn't know that was that Judy's and Nick's a new case or did Nick hear about this until now.

However, in fact, Barbara wasn't interested.

This wasn't her business as a civilian, but the business of Judy and Nick as a cops.

Though reluctant ro interrupt Nick once again, Barbara opened her mouth to speak something to Nick.

"Even though you're predator, Mr. Wilde, you like carrots. Don't you?" Barbara asked as she gestured him to enter to the kitchen.

"I do, although I love more blueberries… like blueberry ice cream, blueberry juice, blueberry pie." Nick said, as he rose from his armchair and headed to the kitchen after barbara.

To Nick's surprise and delight, Barbara told him that there were already all of those Nick had just listed

"But they're waiting for Halloween night." Barbara revealed, much to Nick's disappointment, which Nick quickly hidded from Barbara with the nervous grin.

"But if you like carrots, I have a carrot soup. If you feel like." Barbara offered.

"Of course, I was a bit starving out here during of telling stories for your little ones." Nick said.

As Nick sat down on the table, Barbara warmed the soup in a microwave oven before she handed it over to Nick.

"You're gonna like it." Barbara said with the gently smile.

But when Nick was about to take the first spoonful… his head and ears suddenly jumped upright.

Barbara saw this clearly from aside and went confused of this.

And when she was about to ask "what's wrong"? Nick suddenly stoop up from his seat, unintentionally interrupting her.

Nick looked all around of the living room.

"Speaking of carrots, where's judy. She's supposed to be here right now?"

"She's not yet back?" Barbara asked as confused as Nick.

Both of them knew that Judy had left for the Shopping Paradise at six o'clock...

...and now it was at ten in the evening, meaning that she should have be back iby now.

This was not like her, because usually it took from Judy about two or three ours to walk in the shop, take all what she and Nick needed to live, buy them and then come back home.

It was now been four hours since Judy had left, and yet she'd not yet returned.

Nick quickly rushed to the living room and looked out from the window to see that was her car in the garden.

Everything he was able to see was only the darkness but not dark figure of the certain bunny walking in outside.

"Usually, it does not take so long from her to return home." Nick said, with the a bit worrying tone before looking back outside.

Barbara looked out from the window too, seeing nothing else but the darkness.

"Maybe she has just lost her way in somewhere. Should we call the cops to look for her." Barbara suggested.

Nick only shook his dead in disagreement.

"First, me and Judy are cops. And secondly, I don't think Judy has lost her way out there, Barbara." Nick said.

"As a cop, Judy knows these streets and we're living in the next neighborhood. These streets and quarters are too familiar to her to get lost."

However, there was also another more darker guess in Barbara's mind and it was not time time about Judy getting lost in the streets on her way home...

...but maybe something else might have happened to her.

"What then do you think what would have happened, if she has not lost her way back here?" Barbara asked, though she always hated such of guestions. They always left to her unpleasant tensed feel, and perhaps a bit of feeling of insecurity... aand not to mention about the safety of her children.

Nick was hardly thinking about it.

Of course he knew that the underworld of Zootopia, the wrong side of the law, was always on the move at night.

There was always possible street gang members, mobsters, pickpockets, violent criminals, illegal transactions on the alleys and other illegal criminal action during the night… especially in the downtown when the eye evades.

And not to mention about the possible kidnappers... though there has not been kidnap cases for a while in ZPD.

"I better to go look for her." Nick said and went into vestibule to have his jacket because there was quite cold out there.

Barbara rushed after him to the vestibule.

"But you just said, "too familiar to her to get lost". Does that mean that these streets aren't familiar to you? What if you don't find her, or what if you get yourself lost in the streets instead of trying to find Judy." Barbara asked with the worry.

Nick locked at her the reminding look on his faces.

"I grew up on the streets when I was twelve, Mrs. Barbara. These streets are also too familiar to me that it's impossible for me to get lost. Besides, as the fox and a cop, I'm not afraid of what might lurk in the shadows." Nick said.

"Besides, I've spent for a long enough time with Judy, that I'm stuck with her scent in my nose. I just need to follow her scent once I find it and she will be soon to be found. And in fact, I actually love to play Hide and Seek game with Judy, 'cause she always allow me to act like feral fox when its my time to seek for her." Nick said with the wide smirk, as he was about to open the door.

But before he did, he turned one more time to Barbara.

"You should lock the door and the windows, just in case, and keep them locked until me and Judy are back."

Barbara was still quite unsure.

"But you do not know where to look for her first. From where you would start looking?" She asked, fully knowing that she could not stop Nick from going out there to look for Judy.

"I'll start from the Shopping Paradise. I know where it is located, because I used to stole a bit something from there when I adobted the life on streets as a young fox teen... such like blueberry chocolate chip cookies, blueberry chocolate bars and blueberry milk." Nick said, or more likely confessed with a bit shy and embarrassed voice, as he stepped out from the door.

But before he could disappear out from the door, he appeared again to inside.

"Don't tell that to Judy nor your kids, okay. If Judy finds out, she'll killme." Nick whispered before going outside and closing the door behind him.

And after the fox was gone, Barbara did as Nick told her to do by locking the door.

Barbara went also to cover the living room's windows with the curtains, but before she did, she followed with her eyes at Nick as the fox exited from the garden and disappeared on the streets into the dark of the night.

"Be careful out there." She whispered before closing the curtains.

 **TO BE CONTINUE...**


	2. Chapter 2

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 2.**

Two hours earlier, at the streets nearby of the Shopping Paradise.

Judy had just exited from the doors of the Shopping Paradise before it was closed for today... and she was right now walking back to Barbara carrying two heavy shopping bag in her arms.

She of course had a little problems with carrying two bags after she had bought some carrots, bread, cheese, apples, some coffee, apple jam, milk and cornflakes for the breakfast, for Nick the eggs and chicken meatballs... and candies for Barbara's children in the halloween night.

And because of this, the weight of the bags were against her, as it slowed down her going and her arms were getting tired very quickly.

However, Judy did not want to stop and take breath… the distance between of the Shopping Paradise and Barbara's home wasn't long and she was quite sure that she'll make it back there… even though her tired arms under the weight of the bags were disagree with her thougts.

" _I can handle this myself, thanks a lot, Nick,_ I said. " _I don't need a car. I can make it by foot. Thanks anyway, Barbara_ , I said. Me and my big mouth." Judy murmured under of her breath and the weight of the bags.

"Maybe… I should have… accept… Nick's offer... to come… to come with… me to help… with… these… with these bags... or maybe... maybe I should... maybe I should have borrow... borrow Barbara's... Barbara's car after all." Judy complained between of her pantings and with the scolding tone to herself while struggling with the bags weight.

As Judy was about to pass the alley next to her, she saw something in the corner of her left eye in the darkness of alley.

Though she did not saw it clearly, she could bet that she saw the glance of pair of glowing eyes in the darkness of alley... staring right at her.

And because of this, Judy gasped out of fright and stopped in position, turning reluctantly her eyes at the darkness in the Alley.

Judy remained standing in still as she kept staring into the dark alley, suspecting that there was something hiding in the alley's darkness.

However, there was nothing in seen.

But despite that, Judy didn't let down her guard and alarmed state.

Unlike she did back in her childhood time, Judy was not afraid of the dark anymore and did not anymore believe in the bogeymen stalking under of the beds, behind the room's windows nor in wardrobes...

...but the real things such like at the night-time weaker and unsuspecting prey hunting criminals, hooligans and even possible kidnappers, who were always lurking and stalking in the shadows of the alley, was much more concerning thing.

And with that, as well as with a ignorance that what kind of species was lurking in the shadows, Judy started to feel herself a little insecure and bitterly scolded herself for not taking even her elephant tranquilizer pistol... nor her fox partner... with her.

Suspecting that there was someone hiding in the alley, Judy tried to locate the person with her super sensitive sense of hear... trying to catch even the lowest sound of breath or step from the darkness.

But, much to her surprise, she didn't catch anything.

Judy started ot wonder that was something wrong with her ears - which was extremely unlikely, as Judy always looked after the inner and outer purity and the well-being of her ears to keep her sense of hearing in good condition - or was it that the person hidding in the shadows had found out the way to evade being located by her sense of hearing.

Judy started to really worry, because even though the sense of hearing and the speed were her strengths, poor night vision was her greatest weaknesses, because unlike Nick, whose night vision and the sense of smell were in the higher level than her own, she was unable to see anything moving in the darkness.

However, after she saw nothing in the dark alley, Judy started to peek over her shopping bags to the direction to where she was going, as well as over her shoulders to her right side and behind of her back to see that was there anyone else in the presence...

...hoping them to be the witnesses if something would happen right now while standing in the next of the alley.

However, there was nobody in the presence.

Though daring not to let her guard down 'till she has reached to Barbara's house, Judy started to slowly take a step by step forward to keep moving and continue her home trip back to Barbara's.

Until suddenly...

"Well, well, well… what we got here?" Someone suddenly said or hissed, which was coming right in front of her.

The suddenly a deep silence breaking voice startled Judy, that she let out the startled yelp out of her mouth and jumped backwards, away from the source of the sudden voice.

Judy peeked over her shopping bags to see that who was standing in front of her, but much to her confuse, she didn't saw anybody in front of her.

But because of her poor night vision, she failed to see that there was the shadowy figure staring at her from the edge of the alley's darkness and who was leaning against one of the alley's walls. Even the lampposts light did not reveal his presence to Judy.

However, the lampposts light revealed only the end of the figure's long snout with the dark-gray backside and white-gray, making it clear that the figure was presumably a timber wolf.

However, the shadowy figure kept most of his faces, as well as most of himself, covered by the darkness of the alley.

"Who's there?" Judy asked, trying to keep herself calm and not to show the fear.

"Dr. Nermal, as the service of the lost bunny." The strager, calling himself as Dr. Nermal, said to Judy from the shadows, causing Judy to turn her head to the direction from where the speaking came from... only to see the blank darkness.

Judy kept staring at the darkness in the alley, now knowing that there was indeed somebody but not knowing its species and unsure that was the figure7wolf either friend or threat... but, following Nick's teachings to her, that whatever was in this wolf's mind, she definitely wasn't gonna let the figure/canine to get to her.

"Don't be afraid of me, little bunny. Dr. Nermal doesn't want to do anything bad to you." The stranger added from the shadows, with the friendly manner.

This one came one again from the front of her, causing Judy to turn around to look behind of her shopping bags to see this odd stranger stalking her.

However, she found the street in front of her empty... again.

"Do you feel yourself unsecure? Are you afraid to be so alone in the dark streets at this time of the day? Do you need a company to take you to your home?" The stranger asked once again with the friendly tone.

However, Judy remained silent, but she was slowly getting frustrated as it started to fee llike this stranger was playing with her.

Judy also remained suspicious of that stranger lurking in the shadows, despite his friendly tone and his so-called claims for the good meanings.

And the whole encounter with this weird stranger also reminded her about the direct order her parents gave to her when she was a little bunny kitten.

 _Never trust nor speak to the strangers._

However, Judy's eyes started to get a bit used to the darkness as she saw, though not clearly, someone leaning against the wall within the shadows in the alley... and much to Judy's discomfort, the stranger eyed her quietly and through of every detail of her form like somekind of feral predator waiting for a right moment to strike.

"Excuse me, sir... but I'm afraid of nothing and I don't need the service from the stranger, less the stranger's company to take me back to my place, thank you and good evening." Judy said, with a bit rude and frustrated tone, as she turrned away from the valley and kept walking... and struggling with her shopping bags... forward on the street.

And as Judy was leaving from the scene, the figure eventually came out from the alley's darkness... ...revealing himself as the large gray furred and slender timber wolf after all.

The wolf seemed to wear a long and night-black circus magician's coat and hat, a circus clown's dark blue striped pants, green-orange lattice shirt under the coat and long and black clown shoes, which was uncommon to the mammals of Zootopia, where most of the population didn't wear the shoes. The wolf also had a long grey chin beard, large clown classes and tall black top hat on his head. He had also two long canine teeth.

The wolf walked out from the alley to the streets and started to follow Judy... eyeing Judy's small and slender bunny form... including her cotton tail.

"Awww, aren't you cute, little bunny. Dr. Nermal is a lucky wolf. Dr. Nermal likes much of a such of cute little bunnies like you." The wolf, revealing himself as a Dr. Nermal, said to Judy as he kept following Judy.

Judy's ears rocketed upright after catching the word of "cute" and her a bit startled and nervous expression on her face turned immediately to the annoyed expression, as she locked her scolding eyes on the one who had dared to say the word "cute" about her.

"Excuse me, Mr. Whoeveryouare, but for you to know that only bunny can _caall aannootthheerr bbuuunnnnyyy ccuuuu…_ " Judy was cut off her words, as her voice turned from speaking to murmuring.

Before Judy could even react, Nerval had quickly took out the strange-looking and in the end of the chain hanging watch from the pocket under of his cape and hanged it in front of her eyes. The wolf then started to swing the watch gently from one side to the other in front of Judy's eyes and kept doing it.

The watch seemed to be a quite usual watch, with the clock hands and the machinery within it, but as the wolf swung the watch from the side to another in front of her eyes for a several times...

...causing Judy to lock her eyes on it...

...its screen started to glow strangely, until Judy suddenly hear the watch's seconds hand making the strangely in her ears deeply echoing sounds, sending at the same time after each move from the second to another a harmless and glowing yet her visions shaking waves, that even escaped over the watch's screen's borders.

It was like some kind of hypnosis, as it started slowly but certainly have its grasp over Judy's mind...

...judging from her eyes, as the similiar glowing waves started to run along her eyes from the center of her eyes.

Judy's eyes followed intently the deep echoing sounds and glowing shockwaves releasing watch's going, as her eyelids started to slowly slip over her eyes out of out of nowhere appeared hypnotic fatigue.

One by one, Judy's ears, jaw and arms slowly dropped down, dropping at the same time Judy's shopping bags to the street.

Judy even started a bit move like she was in drunk... in the high level, of course. At least she barely managed to keep her balance.

" _Easy, easy, my little tiny friend._ " Nermal said with the gentle tone, which sounded deep and echoing in hypnotized Judy's ears and mind, but the wolf didn't stop swinging the watch before of Judy's eyes, as the bunny focused so deeply, obsessively, hungrily to the swinging object in front of her.

Eventually, Nermal stoped swinging the watch before of Judy's eyes and placed it back to the pocket under of her cape, but Judy remained in her hypnotized state.

Nermal grinned widely like the clowns as he eyes the hypnotized bunny in front of him.

" _Yes… yes… you're now under my power. Under your master Dr. Nermal's power, little one._ "

" _I... am… under… your… power… my... master… Nermal._ " Judy moaned slowly under hypnosis.

Now Nermal chuckled (first heartily and then sinisterly) at this.

" _You know, little one? I'm sure that you're the brisk children, really. Aren't you?_ " Nermal asked.

" _Yes... master... I... am... brisk... child._ " Judy moaned.

" _And do you know why Dr. Nermal likes the brisk little children like you?_ " Nermal asked, but he did not wasted time by waiting the answer.

He gently grabbed from Judy's head with his right paw's clawed fingers, without hurting her, and turned her head to the left and then from left to right and then back to the left and yet again to the right.

Nermal then removed his fingers from Judy's head.

" _You don't, little one? We'll, because the children loves candies as Dr. Nermal does and they have to be brisk to earn their candies. They know how to sneak in the candy shop undetected and steal as much candy as you want to..._ "

Nermal them grabbed Judy's head with his right paw's fingers yet again, lifted her up from the street, turned her around and dropped her gently on her feet to the ground... but this time, he did not removed his fingers from around of Judy's head.

Nermal then kneeled down so that his head was next to Judy and pointed with his finger back at the Shopping Paradise... especially the candy shop's showcase.

" _Do you see that shop? Do you see_ it?" Nermal asked from Judy, after which he pulled Judy's head backwards and them back to forward to make Judy to "nod".

 _"Good, because I saw you coming out from there, I'm pretty it's not too difficult for you to break back in and have some sweet candies. After all, it's soon Halloween and the Halloween is the time of candies._ "

Nermal then handed to Judy's paw somekind of homemade hacking device.

" _Now when the Shopping Paradise is closed, all what you need to do is to shut the buglar alarm system down with this and break back in, find the direct way to the candy shop from there and steal sweet candies._ "

Judy, without any hesitation, due of her state under of hypnosis, started immediately run towards the Shopping Paradise's doors.

" _Hus on! On your way my little long-eared friend! On your way to steal some candies!_ " Nermal shouted after her.

It did not took long from Judy to get over the car road and reach to the Shopping Paradise's doors.

And once there, Judy started immediately hacking to the burglar alarm's system with the hacking device Nermal gave to her to shut it down.

Judy was police officer and not the computer technician, but there was apparently something in Nermal hypnotic watch that had planted the information of the hacking into Judy's mind through of the hypnotizing process...

...which Judy to accomplish successfully the hacking into the security system and shut it down.

And after which, she was allowed freely to break through the class doors class and step inside of the building… without any sound of alarm.

"Good my little friend… good. Excellent job." Nermal snarled, rubbing his paws together.

The hacking process took from Judy about less than fifteen minutes...

...but it took from her more than twice of that time inside of the Shopping Paradise...

...before the rabbit eventually re-appeared through of the broken door window to the doors of the Shopping Paradise and rushed back to impatiently waiting Normal in the mouth of the alley, holding on her tiny little paws the huge (for the elephants) wrapped bar made from…

"Excellent! Walnut chocolate!" Surprised yet delighted Nermal exclaimed with the eager but quite impatient tone and without the hesitation, the wolf grabbed the bar from Judy's paws.

" _You're not only the cute but also really brisk and good bunny, to Dr. Nermal's taste. My_ _congratulations._ " Nermal said...

...after which, the wolf hafl-unwrapped the bar and started greedily to eat the bar.

"Thank… you… master… Nermal." Judy moaned, with the black expression.

Nermal, however, didn't care. His focus was completely in chewing the chocolate bar. Judy's hypnotized form was only the air to him at the moment.

"(Slurps!) Walnut chocolate is Dr. Nermal's the greatest favorite!" Nermal said with his mouth full and his lips covered with the chocolate.

After eating half of the chocolate bar with two big mouthful, Nermal wrapped the remaining half of the bar back into its packet and placed it to another bigger pocket under of his cape, after which the wolf turned back at Judy.

" _Come with Dr. Nermal, my little friend. You may be even more useful to Dr. Nermal._ " Nermal said, as he placed his right paw to Judy's back and gently pushed her forward, gesturing her to follow him to the dark alley.

" _Yes… master… Nermal._ " Judy moaned.

And with that, both Nermal and Judy headed towards the alley.

But suddenly…

"Judy! Carrots!"

The sudden shouts from a small distance alerted Nermal so unexpectedly that he turned around to see that who had shouted.

And during of his escape, Nermal's right elbow hit to Judy's forehead so hard that she fell over on her kneels to the street, in middle of her dropped shopping bags.

And after seeing that somebody was coming from behind of the van, which had stopped next to entrance of the Central Park in the next door.

Even with the help of the lampposts, Nerval didn't saw clearly that who the incoming shadowy person was, mostly thanks to the darkness of the night.

But in the belief that he has been seen, the wolf decided to make a hasty retreat to the alley and, thanks to his cape which he wrapped around of him while entering to the alley, quickly disappeared into alley's shadows, leaving Judy, still under of the hypnosis, behind.

And as the shadowy person made it to the scene, the light of the lamppost revealed the person to be Nick Wilde.

"Judy! There you are!" Nick shouted, half relieved but also shocked, especially after seeing Judy on her knees in the ground, with the expression of the feeling of pain, shaking her head and stroking with her paws her forehead.

Nick, with the beelief that Judy had got under attack, took out his own elephant tranquilizer pistol and quickly made his way to her.

"Carrots. Are you okay? What happened?" Nick asked after he reached to her, and gently extending his left paw towards her in attempot to wrap it around of her waist and lift her back on her feet from the ground.

But within seconds after he touched ger, Judy suddenly turned around and punched with her into the fist squeezed paw to Nick's left cheek. And the bunny's punch's impact was so hard that the fox fell backwards and failed to keep his balance... which was followed by the fox falling on his butt to the street.

"Ouch! Hey, Carrots! What was that for?" Nick asked, surprised of whar Judy just did as he lifted his left paw up and started to stroke with it his sore cheek to make the slight pain in it to fade away.

"No one non-rabbit calls me cute and…" Judy shouted with the tone of voice of her very own, which meant that she was her normal self...

Judy took her battle-ready stance and turned around to see her "attacker", only to gasp in shock as her eyes went to wide and her paws jumped via the reflexes over her mouth, after the surprised/shocked bunny realized that who she had just punched.

"Oh, N-N-Nick! I'm-I'm sorry. I-I'm so, so, so, so sorry for that! I-I didn't meant to! I-I m-m-mistook you for some-someone another w-who... I... I... I... I'm so sorry, Nick." Judy said nearly with the panicking voice...

...before the bunny kneeled diown next to the fox and and stroked gently with her own paw Nick's cheek that got the hit from her punch… placing even a small but sweet kiss to there as comfort for the fox.

Judy's kiss to her sore cheek made Nick to ablush a bit, as he closed his eyes and lowered his ears aganst the back of his head.

"Nah, Carrots. I'm good." Nick said with the calm voice...

...until his eyes snapped within seconds open and his ears jumped upright.

"Woah, woah, woah! Wait… did you just said that somebody called you cute? Who did call you a cute?"

Judy did not waste her time but quickly turned her eyes from Nick to look to the spot where she had seen the shadowy figure... only to find it to be empty.

The wolf was nowhere to be seen, much to her confuse.

 _What just happened? He was right there, but then he_... Judy thought.

"Judy?" Nick said, catching the bunny's attention.

The confused bunny then turned back face to face with Nick.

"There was someone in the alley, stalking/speaking to me from the shadows after I exited from the Shopping Paradise. I tried to ignore him and his presence and continue my way back to Barbara's, until I heard him calling me _cute_ behind of my back and I tried to turn around to scold him for calling me cute because of him being non-bunny animal, until everything just went in black in my eyes and my entire mind. Then I found myself on my knees in the ground, stroking my sore forehead like someone struck me to my forehead or something" Judy explained shortly.

Nick's instincts quickly got their spark.

This information told him that someone indeed attacked attack Judy from behind.

 _Whatta cowardly act to attack from behind against the smaller mammal... who happens to be a cop and the certain bunny!_ Nick thought.

"You better to check that is everything save." Nick suggested, gesturing Judy's wallet.

Judy did was Nick told her to do.

She checked her jeans' each pocket, finding only the empty candy papers, the keys of her apartment and her mobile phone. Judy also checked her wallet… twice if some of her photos of her, Nick and her family, needed cards, or money was missing.

Surprisingly… nothing was missing... much to the duo's confuse.

"That's odd… somebody attacked you from behind but he stole nothing from you… not even a single dollar nor your debit card." Nick said, rubbing his chin out of confusion.

"Yeah, that's quite odd." Judy agreed.

Suddenly, the bunny turned her head at the fox.

"What are you even doing out here, Nick? I though you were still at Barbara's."

Now Nick took the scolding expression on his face.

"Correction, Carrots. Where the heck you have been? It usually doesn't take from you four hours to visit in the shop and then come back. It is now a ten o'clock at night." Nick said, showing the time to Judy from his watch.

Judy took on her face confused and also questioning expression.

"What? Four hours? Ten o'clock at night? But I exited from the Shopping Paradise before eight at o'clock with my…"

Judy turned around and saw her shopping backs were lying on the ground.

And it was the mess. Half of the eggs were destroyed, two milk cans damaged that the milk was draining out of their jars and glass jam jar was broken and messed everything within one of the shopping bags...

...and yet she had no knowledge that how in earth she had dropped them to the ground.

"Oh sweet cheese 'n crackers. There goes a half of the eggs, milk and the whole apple jam, and all remaining is covered with the jam." Judy said instantly depressed and dropping her ears down.

Nick landed his comforting paw on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Carrots. Half lost eggs, a couple lost milk jars and the broken apple jam jar is not the End of the World. I'll help you to clean this mess up and gather together what's left from your shopping and take the survived food back to Barbara's. Okay?"

Judy looked at him and nodded with one of the sweet smiles on her lips.

And with that, the fox and the rabbit kneeled down to the street to gather everything that was left from Judy's shoppings into one shopping back, and they proceeded by gathering the broken eggs and their packet, the damaged jars of milk and the shattered pieces of jam jar into another shopping bag, which they threw into one trash can when they passed the one.

Nick also offered to carry the remaining shopping bag the rest of their home trip for Judy, which gladly Judy accepted.

 **TO BE CONTINUE...**


	3. Chapter 3

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 3.**

The next morning.

The entire Barbara's family, including Judy and Nick, were at the moment around of the the kitchen table eating the pancakes with strawberry jam or cornflakes with the milk and sugar for the breakfast while watching the portable TV.

All the bunnies around of the table, save for Barbara and Judy, and including a certain fox, had a bit sleepy expression on the faces as their ears had dropped down behind of their heads as they ate their breakfast.

And during of their breakfast, Judy told to Barbara's children about the best events in her life back in her childhood.

For example the one moment back in Judy's old childhood school, their class had once received the visit from two police officers, african lion officer named Leo and female goat officer named Djali, from Bunnyburrow's Police Department to explain to the young students in Judy's class some details about being police officer and the police officer's job both in the big cities like Zootopia and in the countrysides like Bunnyburrow, including showing to the students some police officers goods, such like the officer's walkie talkie, unloaded elephant tranquilizer pistol and the hand-cuffs, showing some videos of the police officers tasks, such like dealing with the speedster, drunks and improperly behaving mammals, action-filled chases by foot or car after the criminals and even into the protective raid armor dressed police officers raids to the the nest of dangerous criminals and yet even showing the police officers vehicles from closer.

It was back then Judy's best school day ever, she had even dressed into her officer outfit for the day during the officers visit.

However, Gideon had once again tried to ruin her day by asking from the officers, intentionally to Judy's chagrin, that has there ever been any bunny cops in the police force... ending up to the same answer Judy had heard from her parents earlier after her Carrot Days Talent Show.

There's never been a bunny cop.

However, Gideon's attempt to deliberately annoy Judy had backfired at him, as both the police officers, despite their answer that no rabbit has ever been a cop and unlike the officers in ZPD on Judy's first day at the force, actually took interest of Judy's outfit and were even more interested of her after Judy had revealed her deep dreams to be one day the police officer just like them. Leo and Djali had then, moved by Judy's dreams and the whole class's surprise, including much to Gideon's shock, encouraged her to keep going towards her dreams and one day she would make history... and make the world a better place.

And Judy had also told to the police officer about the incident with Gideon, after he had stolen from her friends some tickets which had prompted her to stand for her friends against Gideon like the police officer and with the very same police officer outfit she was wearing back on that day, for what, as well as for her bravery to stand against the bigger animal - whose species happened to be her own species natural enemy - the officers gave their congratulations for her...

...and, with the will to backfire Gideon with the really hard, Judy had also revealed to the officers the scars she had got from Gideon's claws on her left cheek, the officers, disgusted of what Gideon had done, turned their stern looks at the fox immediately and scolded him with the stern tone of voice...

" _You should thank your luck that she wasn't adult yet nor yet police officer when you did that fox! Because if she was, we would have a full right to arrest you for the physical assault... against a police officer!_ "

Back in the present day, when Gideon has fully redeemed himself in the eyes of the rabbits, Judy still giggled heartily to the memory of Gideon's shocked faces after hearing the stern words out of the police officers mouths.

Also entire bunny family and Nick joined to her giggle as well.

"Hush! There's a news in TV!" Tagalong said as she turned the voice louder in TV.

In the news, the snow leopard Fabienne Growley and the moose Peter Moosebridge were right now about to tell to watchers about the latest news.

" _Good morning from ZNN, Zootopia. First and foremost, there's been the break in in the Shopping Paradise the last night before ten o'clock. The buglar managed to hack into the buglar alarm's system to shut it down and break in through the class doors in the old way._ " Fabienne briefed the watchers.

This got Nick's and Judy's attentions.

"In the Shopping Paradise? But we two were at there at that time of the night. How could we managed to miss this robbery?" Nick asked in disbelief.

Then, Fabienne turned to Peter, who continued by his turn.

" _The buglar managed to shut down the most of the security cameras from outside and inside before entering the building… but the security camera in the Shopping Paradise's candy shop managed to catch the culprit in the act._ "

"Candy shop, eh? Well, the present-day's buglars are beginning to go a bit too childishly by robbing the candies." Judy said and was about to and was about to giggle to her little joke, until…

" _And what we're seeing. Isn't the burglar herself officer Judy Hopps from ZPD, stealing the chocolate bars for the elephants from the shop. This is the dark day for the law and order._ " Peter briefed as the screen changed showing all of them the bunny looking like Judy stealing one walnut chocolate bars from the shop and ran away.

Out of great surprise once hearing this, Skippy, Sis, Tagalong and all nine little rabbits instantly spit all their cornflakes and milk - and the coffee in Nick's case - out from their mouths to the table and Judy and Barbara both gasped in shock after seeing this. All of them could not believe their eyes what they just saw in TV through of the security camera's recorded video… especially Judy, as her eyes had widened out of shock and ears jumped upwards like the rockets.

Then, all of their eyes turned to Judy.

"Carrots, have you something to say about this?" Nick said in disbelief.

It took a bit when Judy recovered from her shock and looked Nick into the eyes.

"I… I don't…" Judy said, with the difficulty to find a words.

"Judy… aunt Judy. Why… why did you do that?" Skippy asked in disbelieving tone as well.

"I… I don't know." Was all what Judy could say.

Then Barbara stepped towards Judy.

"Judy Hopps! I know that I am your friend and not of course your mother, but I'm gonna say this still. How dare you to do such of thing? You're a cop and you're supposed to protect and serve this city and arrest the robbers, not rob the stuff yourself." Barbara said with a quite scolding tone.

Judy's eyes turned from Barbara to her children, Skippy, Sis and Tagalong and their siblings who were all looking at her. She sensed the disbelief but also a hint of deep disappointment from all of them.

"I-I don't know… I-I of-of course visited in the candy shop but-but I don't remember anything like that… I was-I was the outside from the Shopping Paradise, b-before that even happened." Judy said in shock and quickly ashamed although she did not remember anything of that from the last night.

Nick then went next to his bunny friend and landed his paw on Judy's shoulder.

"Don't you really remember anything like that, Carrots?"

Judy, still in shock and in slowly upcoming shame lowered her head and only shook her head as an answer.

"No, no I don't, Nick. All what I do remember is that someone from the dark alley called me from behind of my back cute after I exited from the Shopping Paradise, until everything just went black in my eyes and I found myself rubbing my head on the ground and you next to me... including my shopping bags and all the food I bought from Shopping Paradise lying in the ground. That's all what I remember."

Then the screen changed to the front of the Shopping Paradise, where the police had closed the area for the investigation. Before the camera was standing Panda News Anchor holding mike on his paw.

" _Right now, in the Shopping Paradise, ZPD is investigatin the area around of the Shopping Paradise and the watchers of the news, who are gathered in here, are surprised and shocked about the security camera's footage. They're all in disbelief after seeing our famos and popular ZPD officer Judy Hopps, who solved nearly two years ago the Night Howler Incident, stealing candies from the candy shop. Some of the citizens refuse to believe that it was herself Judy Hopps and claims it to be some other mammal, with the same size with the certain rabbit officer, in the rabbit costume trying to frame our popular officer. But there's also some ma_ _mmals who greatly believe the officer Judy Hopps to be the culprit of this robbery._ " Panda news anchor said in the mike.

The screen changed to fallow deer woman, who was holding her son from the arm as she was speaking to the mike.

" _I cannot believe it. Our hero cop who saved the whole Zootopia from that evil Bellwether, condescended to do something like this._ " Fallow deer woman said in disbelieving tone and lifted her son to the air to speak to the mike.

" _How could she?_ " The fallow deer boy said the voice full of disbelief and disappointment.

The screen changed to tiger. Unfortunately, the tiger was revealed to be the owner of the Shopping Paradise.

" _We all were once fooled by the innocent- friendly and sweet-like appearance. Now we were fooled again… and this time by the cop, our city's law protector and even by our hero cop. If she is watching the news right now, I'll let her know that from now she has been sentenced to ban from the Shopping Paradise._ " The tiger said with the bitter tone, much to Judy's dismay.

The screen changed to the squirrel family.

" _Stealing now the walnut chocolate bars meant for the elephants, which is also my children's favorite chocolate? How could our favorite cop do such of like that after the great servant she did to our beloved city._ " The mother squirrel said to the mike.

The screen changed to the grizzly bear.

" _I could not believe my own eyes what I saw from the corner of the streets. The rabbit like her hacking into the burglar alarm's system and then smashing her way in the Paradise Shop._ " Grizzly said to the mike.

The screen changed to the sheep.

" _Unbelieveable but true… I saw that it was her when I was passing the Shopping Paradise._ " The sheep said.

The screen then screen turned into the wolverine, who had the Shopping Paradise's guard's outfit.

" _I was knocked from behind to my head, but I managed to saw the exact features of our certain bunny cup before everything went dark in my eyes and mind._ " Wolverine said to the mike.

All these comments from the mammals only encouraged Judy's feel of guilty and lowered her good mood.

" _Well, at least, there's not yet reason for the mob against Judy Hopps for stealing one chocolate bar but also causing some damages to the class doors and the burglar alarm system security camera system. We do not yet know that is the famous and popular cop like Judy Hopps became the burglar or not and that's why were speaking with the chief of ZPD._ " Panda said as he turned to the mammal who was standing next to him.

Then finally the screen turned to the chief Bogo himself, which caused Judy to gasp and swallow in shock as she waited her fate on the screen.

"I'm doomed. I'm definitely doomed. Chief's gonna kill me for this."

" _Chief Bogo, how do you react to this news?_ " Panda asked.

Bogo at first cleaned his throat and sighed before he started to speak.

" _This is quite… quite unfortunate and unexpected new, that one of my finest cops has decreased to steal but we're not yet sure was it really her. Right now, Detective Oates is investigating this case. He has found the footsteps from the crime scene which has been already analyzed as rabbit's footsteps. He is right now going to visit with the search warrant in every home of the rabbits of the nearby neighborhoods of the area… just in case to make sure that there could be someone else rabbit who did this. if the culprit to the burglary is really the officer Hopps, I demant her to pay visit in ZPD and on my office immediately… after her possible arrest!_ " Bogo said.

" _Thank you, Chief Bogo._ " Panda said and turned back to the screen.

Judy slowly lowered her head and ears down.

"Just as I said. I'm doomed. I'm definitely doomed." She murmured in the shame.

Skippy, after seeing how badly the news offended Judy's spirit who cannot take that anymore, shut the whole TV down

Knowing that she was already doomed, Judy, without saying a word nor looking at anyone on the table anymore, exited from the table to the living room and collapsed to the armchair dispirited and ears against the back of her head.

Later on that morning.

The clock approached at eleven o'clock and Judy did not even move from the chair for hours, neither even spoke to anyone, even to Nick, who watched her from behind the corner with his eyes full of feeling pity for Judy, his best rabbit who was now facing the ultimate downfall.

Later onthe day, after at two o'clock...

There was the heavy knock in the door, alerting the bunny family that somebody was behind of the door waiting for somebody to come open it.

Barbara went to open it to check that who it was, only to get suddenly startled and gasped out of surprise after finding a large horse standing behind of the door.

"My apologizes for disturbing you, Mrs. Barbara." The horse said and pulled out a badge from his pocket.

"Detective Oates from ZPD. Some witnesses of the robbery in the Shopping Paradise have seen Judy Hopps coming right here in the last night with her fox partner Nicholas Piberius Wilde. Happens the certain duo to be at home of yours right now?" Oates asked.

Barbara sighed deeply before she moved aside.

"Both of them are here. Come inside, Mr. Oates."

"Thank you, lady." Oates said and stepped in.

Because he was a horse, he had to walk a slightly bowed and hunched because the rabbit houses were not built for the animals in his size, which made him a bit clumsy as the horse tried to watch himself from breaking anything even by accident...

Barbara walked ahead, leading the horse to the living room, where Nick was sitting next of Judy, holding her from her paws in order to somehow to comfort her.

Suddenly, much to both's sudden surprise, their both attentions turned to Barbara, who stepped into the living Room Oates right behind of her tail.

"Judy, Nick, you got a visitor." Barbara said and stepped aside to witness the situation.

Because the living room was nearly big enough for Oates, because of the upstairs and towering floors and the air space in the middle of them, Oates was able to a bit stand upright.

After which, the horse turned his full attention to the rabbit and fox duo in front of him.

"Officers Hopps and Wilde." Oates said seriously.

Nick quickly stood up and saluted at the detective, but Judy, whose mood was still down from the sudden news, did her own salute to the detective horse a much slower that what Nick did and didn't even raised her eyes to look at him.

Oates saw that very clearly.

"Is officer Hopps sick?"

Nick took the look at Judy, before the fox officer went next to her and gently delivered Oates's question in the form of whisper into her left ear, to which Judy answered by shaking slowly her head.

Nick then turned back to Oates.

"Not really, Detective Oates. She's just... depressed... and she has been in that state since the morning news we watched this morning, spending her time only sitting in the very same chair, not bothering to stand up from it." Nick answered, but with his normal humble tone of voice while hidding at the same time his every minute growning concern for Judy, because while spending most of the day by sitting in the very same chair in shame and confusion without eating or saying anything or even talking to anyone, from Oates.

However, Oaten kept his own tone of voice as serious yet cold and uncompassionate.

"So, she knows about what happened the last night in the Shopping Paradise, does she?"

Nick was about to answer until Judy, finally, spoke first.

"All what I remember, Detective Oates, is that someone appeared out from the dark alley and called me cute, making me turn around to him until everything went black and I found myself on the ground." Judy said, without even looking at Oates nor Nick.

"And what is odd, nothing has been robbed from her." Nick added.

Oates rubbed his chin for while as he pondered what he had heard from the duo.

"Well, at least you saw from a television the security camera's footage, filming you hacking into the Shopping PÅaradise's security system and breaking through of the doors class and breaking into the Shopping Paradise and stealing from its candy shop the walnut chocolate bar and running away with the bar into the night, after the Shopping Paradise was closed for that day. How do you answer to that?"

Now Judy partially jumped out from the chair and locked her eyes to Oates' own eyes, with the desperate expression on her face.

"I saw that footage from a television too, but I'm trying to be honest in your eyes by telling to you this that I don't remember anything of that. I exited from the Shopping Paradise before it was closed for the day before I was ambushed in the nearby alley, I don't even like walnut chocolate and I eat the candies only rarely."

Oates pondered yet again these claims briefly, before he spoke again.

"So you claim that you had nothing to do about the robbery, despite you've been seemingly caught in front of the security camera?" Oates asked seriously.

Nick spotted Skippy, Sis and Tagalong witnessing the stituation from the door of their bedroom, excitement and worried about that how this stituation might end. With a gesturing of the paws, Nick ordered them to go back to their room and wait there until the adult things would be over.

Despite being a bit reluctant to do so, they eventually retreated back to their room.

Nick's attention turned then back to the stituation.

"We'ell, I don't know how to answer that after seeing myself in the footage video. Detective Oates, but…"

Oates, however, interrupted him before he could even finish what he was about to say.

"You know the law as the cop, Hopps, and the cop's duty is to protect and serve the city, its residents, law and order. Well, you just broke the law by stealing the bar from the Shopping Paradise, and maybe even lying right now to the bureaucracy. For example, if you claim that you have nothing to do about the crime in the Shopping Paradise, why then you have something brown in your fingers?"

Judy quickly checked her fingers, and to her horror, she saw something brown in the fingers' fur.

Nick quickly grabbed from Judy's left arm and lifted her soft paw in the same level with his nose and sniffed the brown thing from her fingers.

"Walnut chocolate." Nick said with the worried expression on his face, which also worried Judy.

"Now, if you excuse me, officer Wilde."

Oates then kneeled down front of Judy and grabbed from her ankle. Then he took out the wax mold and placed it in under of Judy's foot sole, before he pressed her foot against the surface of the paper.

Then he took the wax mold off and took out another paper, in which was the rabbit's footsprint

"Does this looks familiar? This very footsprint on the paper was taken from the crime scene."

Then he took out plastic bag which contained a hacking device... which Judy didn't recognize.

"We also analyzed this in the laboratory the last night, and we found fingerprints that belongs to you, officer Hopps." Oates said.

Judy was overwhelmingly ashamed, confused and desperated after seeing the evidence against her.

"Seemingly the thief of the Shopping Paradise has been successfully found." Oates said as he stood back up and took out bunny-sized handcuffs, seeing of which Judy lowered her head really down in shame and confusion.

"I'm sorry, Officer Judith Laverne Hopps, but you're under arrest for the burglary. But at first, we visit in chief's office in ZPD's headquarters before placing you into the custony." Oates said and stepped towards Judy in order to put her in the handcuffs.

Barbara, Nick, Skippy, Sis and Tagalog, all of them watched aside in shock, helplessly and in desperation as Oates put the handcuffs on Judy's wrists and was about to take her away from the house.

Suddenly…

"Uh, no."

The voice came from Nick's location. Both Judy and Oates and also Barbara's family turned to Nick.

"What did you said, officer Wilde?" Oates questioned with the annoyed voice, because he usually hated the interruptions, unless he didn't do them by himself.

Nick took the serious expression on his face and took one stand ahead towards Oates and handcuffed Judy.

"Sorry, Detective Oates… but what I said was "NO!" She will not come with you in the handcuffs."

Both Judy and Oates were quite confused about this, but this also lit a spark in Judy's depressed mind and heart.

This reminded Judy for the moment over one and half years ago after being attacked by savaged Mr. Manchas in the Rainforest District, when Nick had stood up for her with support and protection when chief Bogo had wrongfully demanded her to resign from ZPD Force by taking off her badge, which she nearly did if Nick had not come between of them, berating the ZPD officers and the chief himself with the extremely cold and scolding tone in front of their very nose for seemingly deliberately setting Judy up to fail with the extreme lack of resources, help and time in her first case which they had themselves failed to solve in over two weeks, demanding for her another chance for the case. A small smile visited on Judy's lips as she remembered how Nick managed to disarm chief Bogo and his officers from the words, with which they would have attempted to defend their actions, leaving them no chance to say anything back and probably even leaving them both speechless and probably even into the shame out of realization that Nick was more than just right, despite Nick being the fox, whose species is in the extreme lower spot in the social system.

But now, Judy was quite confused and she was wondering that how Nick was gonna defend and support her now after he had himself saw the security camera's footage video from TV on this morning.

"And why I can't officer Wilde? She is soon-to-be ex-cop than has turned into wrong side of the law, making her as a criminal. Didn't you saw the footage in the news?" Oates asked, quite annoyed for Nick's intervention despite being himself too the police officer of ZPD

"Yes, I did see it. But, it just oddly reminded me about the Night Howler Incident, when that nasty Yakkity Yak jailsheep Bellwether created that Night Howler serum to turn the every predator in entire Zootopia into feral mindless savages in order to remove them from the public and framed the fellow ex-mayor Lionheart, despite he actually committed to the illegal kidnapping and imprisoning of the savaged predators, in order to take his place as the mayor of Zootopia and continue her evil scheme to destroy the peace and harmony of Zootopia and the all predators… and with the help of Judy's foolish speech in the press conference back then… she almost succeeded if it hadn't been for me and Judy to expose and make the end to her evil goals." Nick reminded with the serious tone.

Now Oates was totally confused.

"I know that very well, but how it is related to this when it is already a few months after that case?" Oates asked.

"Well, because Judy does not remember her being part of that crime in the Shopping Paradise in any way, as all what she said to be able to remember is that after exiting from the Shopping Paradise, someone ambushed her in the nearby alley and called her with the C-word from behind of her back, from which Judy does not like if the one calling her with C-word is not a bunny, and she turned around to see who had called her with that word until the world in her eyes and mind went black. And after that, she found herself on the ground… mysteriously to her, between of eight o'clock and ten o'clock to which she doesn't have any reasonable explanation."

Oates rolled her eyes and let out the deep sigh of frudtation, but managed to keep himself calm.

"What's that supposed to mean, Wilde?"

Nick took a new stance.

"That means… that maybe someone - who ambushed Judy on her way back here and called her with C-word to have her attention - somehow forced Judy to make his or hers dirty work for her to frame Judy as criminal instead of him- or herself to avoid getting both tracked down and caught. Even though I don't know who did so nor how he or she did it." Nick explained shortly.

From Oates eyes and expression on his face, Nick knew that Oates didn't either believe him or he believed that Nick was already attempting to act as her lawyer… even though being a fox with the lower place in the animal kingdom's social system.

"You're telling me, Wilde. That is just a guess, right?"

"More likely… theory for the happenings… and yes, it's also guess. But maybe there's more in the crime scene than just footprints and the hacking device with Judy's fingersprints." Nick responded.

Oates looked now at Nick like he was about to ask from himself "What clues he then has left unnoticed from the crime scene, if Nick believes so?" but Nick did not give him a chance to ask when he already spoke over his words.

"If you would just give her a bit of a reprieve, I'm gonna find out what really happened the last night before and during the crime in the Shopping Paradise's candy shop, to which Judy does not believe or remember herself to been involved in any way. No matter how long this will take, I'll take responsibility for the whole case, as she took the full responsibility over her very first own… with the fox officer's word of honor." Nick said raising his paw like he did back in the Junior Scouts as the little cub before being prejudiced and traumatically bullied by the prey scouts.

Oates was still quite unsure to hand over this case to the paws of fox, who defended Judy's supposed yet at the moment doubted innocence despite having saw the footage of Judy Hopps robbing the candy shop, even though he was a cop and tasked to hunt/track down the criminals and catch them.

"Who's then gonna inform this to Bogo, if she does not come with me, Officer Wilde?" Oates demanded to know.

"I'll call him and tell him that I took part of this case in defense for Judy's innocence." Nick said, winking his eye at Judy.

Though a bit reluctant, but also seeing that Nick wanted to take this case into his paws with the stubborn yet obsession-like will to protect Judy's innocence and her job, Oates eventually but yet silently agreed to let go off Judy... but he remained to still is considering the whole matter seriously.

Of course Nick did with Judy the great servant for the whole city the last time when it was nearly driven into the chaos during of the Night Howler plague... meaning that there was not doubt that he probably won't do that again, but he still had his own doubts.

Oates then let the deep sigh escape from his mouth and kneeled down to remove the handcuff from Judy's wrists.

"Very well, Officer Wilde. Judy gets a reprieve you asked for her, but it is not yet enough to clean her name in public." Oaten informed.

"You are involved in investigation, but with my terms!" Oates declared, which caught Nick's full surprised attention.

"To clean soon-to-be ex-officer Judy Hopps's name in the public, you're gonna work on your own and with the resources that has been gaven to you."

"And if you do not find anything suspecting that is able to prove soon-to-be ex-officer Judy Hopps as innocent before over twelve o'clock at the Halloween night, the footprints and hacking device with soon-to-be ex-officer Judy Hopps fingerprints will be used against her in court and she will be sentenced in accordance with the law to imprisonment for burglary." Oates declared.

Nick was now quite shocked about this.

"Before over twelve o'clock at the Halloween night? Imprisonment for burglary? C'mon, Oates. Burglary, it is a serious crime of course but not that big and serious crime like the murder, kidnapping, widespread illegal mafia-activity nor the terrorist activity, that from it will be sentenced into imprisonment. Besides, it's just two days left to Halloween. It would took me a bit less than a week before I got this solved if I do it alone. With Judy it would take from me… I mean, from us… two days." Nick attempted to protest.

Oates then leaned, almost like threatingly, towards Nick with the extremely harsh expression on his face.

"You think that I like this myself, do you, fox?!" Oates asked with the loud and stern tone of voice.

"Crime is still a crime, and Judy has to bear the responsibility and the consequences for breaking the law by stealing from the Shopping Paradise, despite the fact that you claim it to be a frame up against her... and you know that the only words aren't good evidence enough to prove her innocence! There's only a objects found in the crime scene and the fingerprints in them. And my job is take the criminals, no matter how serious each crime is, into the custody. And it is your job as well, Officer Wilde." Oates said.

"And... remember that this whole big thing was your _VERY OWN_ big idea and that you can't make it undone anymore, officer Wilde. You wanted to solve that case to prove officer Hopp's innocence and now you got the chance to it. Besides, you said that " _no matter how long this case could take, I'll solve it_ " didn't you?"

And with this, Nick slapped his paw over his faces, having realized that he had accidentally gave to Oates a upper paw... or in the case of Oates, as he was a horse... upper hoof.

"Me and my big mouth." Nick complained, berating himself for being such of dumb fox.

"And as the prime suspect, offiucer Hopps has no right to take part in this. Some witnesses near of the crime scene in the last night told me seeing the fox like you with her after the crime in the Shopping Paradise happened... So do not give me any reason to bring charges against you for trying to defend the criminal like you were part of it." Oates said with the threatening tone.

"Am I clear, officer Wilde?"

Nick took a quick look at Judy, and Judy looked back at him.

Nick sensed clearly the trust in Judy's eyes, as well as a disappointment that she was forbidden to help Nick in this case, knowing all too well that all alone Nick would never get close to the real fiend of this case... just like she would have never solve her first cases without Nick's support and help.

And knowing that Oates had the upper hoof and the false evidences against Judy and knowing that Judy trusted him with all her heart, Nick wouldn't help but let out the sigh out of ultimate defeat... before he looked back at the stern-looking horse.

"Yes it is." Nick said with the nervous nod.

"Fourty-eight hours, Wilde. Only fourty-eight hours. Before over twelve o'clock at the Halloween night. And you better to find a real suspect within fourty-eight hours or else your partner will be your ex-partner, as well as soon-to-be ex-cop and the prison inmate instead. Deal?" Oates said and extended his hoof-fingered gand at Nick, waiting for Nick to shake it as an agreement.

Although Nick hesitated at first to shake it, he knew that he was doing this for Judy and her innocence, so he grabbed with his own paw from Oates hoofed hand.

"Deal."

"Good-luck then… officer Wilde. You better get to work, the clock is ticking and you are already twelve hours out of time." Oates said and turned around towards the door of the house in order to leave.

"I assume that you want me to keep you up to date by calling you if I find something suspecting which would help me to proceed clue after clue in this case, right?" Nick quickly asked after Oates before the horse detective reached to the door.

Oates snorted out of annoyance after hearing that, but turned around in the narrow space to look at Nick nonetheless.

"Only, and I mean it, ONLY, if you find something suspecting, what you can use to prove your partner's innocence in this case. Otherwise, don't you dare to waste my time by calling me to home time after time."

Nick nodded, with the annoyed and disgusted expression on his face due of Oates attitude, as he turned his back at the horse and crossed his arms.

"Seriously, he sounds definitely like the horse version of our beloved grupy chief-Buffalo-Butt. Great! An another chief Bogo was what we needed." Nick quietly and sarcastically murmured as Oates was about to leave the house.

Suddenly, Oates stopped right when he had grabbed from the door handle and was about to open the door to leave from the house, until he closed the door again and returned back to the living room... much to Nick's dismay.

"What is it now?" The fox officer asked, a bit annoyed that the grumpy horse wasn't gone as he was supposed to.

"I almost forgot one thing. I need someone to compensate for the damage caused by burglary in the Shopping Paradise." Oater said, as the horse detective took out from his jacket's pocket the bill paper and handed it over to Nick.

"And because Mrs. Barbara is out of all of this, this will not fall into her paws. But because this whole thing was your idea and that soon-to-be ex-officer Hopps is your soon-to-be ex-partner, officer Wilde, I believe that maybe you will be the one to compensate for the damage caused by her." Oates added.

Nick took the look at the bill and his eyes widened in shock.

"By my tail! You gotta be kidding me! Three-hundred-bucks compensation for the damages... and yet it was just a bunny-sized hole in the glass-doors?!" The fox officer shouted in disbelief.

"Including the extra-space for the chocolate bar meant for the elephants, and yet the glass of those doors was a quite an expensive material. Besides, If you break so you pay." Oates said with the sly grin on his face.

 **Meanwhile at elsewhere.**

There was the little house, which was located in the Meadowlands, outside of the city of Zootopia. The house's area was circled with the barred fence and there was empty swimming pool next to the house.

It was the home, and hideaway, to the same person who had called Judy with the "C-word" the last night he had encountered Judy...

...and right now, he was quite happy and eager in his house.

"Wonderful, wonderful! This much goodies! Hihihii. Dr. Nermal is genius!" Nermal said eagerly as he watched his "collection" gathered onto his table.

There was a huge pile of differend candies. There was dozens, maybe even a hundreds of pick and mix candies like fruit candies, paper candies, different caramels, chocolate raisins, fruit candy straps, toffee caramels, liquorice, marshmallows, mint truffles, marmalade balls, various colored animal-shaped gummy candies, various different Lollipops, chocolate bars and plates and dozens of different candy bags and so on.

They were all Dr. Nermal's loot from the last night and now he was greedily eating it with the smile on his face and the area around of his mouth and the top of his fingers covered by the melted chocolate.

"Bah, about the toothache, toothpaste, toothbrushes and tooth trolls!" Nermal arrogantly and recklessly declared, clearly showing that he did not care about his own oral hygiene and maintenance of his own teeth.

He just tuck away the candies as much as he wanted… following proverb.

"Enough just isn't never enough."

Soon, after eating more than half of the pile of candies for many hours, Dr. Hermal stood up from his seat and walked out from the room with his jacket's pockets full of chocolade bars and holding on his paw a huge half-eaten lollipop with the nasty grin on his muzzle.

"And what's the best of all… because tomorrow is Halloween, meaning the entire Zootopia is full of the candy-begging brats."

Then Nermal walked near the edge of the swimming pool.

"And when the begging begins… Dr. Nermal's little sweethearts will bring to Dr. Nermal even more and more candies. Nermal said as he watched down into the swimming pool, which bottom was filled with the dozens and dozens five-, seven-, eight and nine-years old mammal children, so predator like prey mammals...

...for example shrews, antelopes, armadillos, badgers and honey badgers, bats, beavers, black, grizzly and polar bears, black-footed ferrets, boars, camels, buffaloes, cheetahs, cougars, elephants, gazelles, gerbils, giraffes, goats, groundhogs, hamsters, hippoes, hyenas, horses, jaguars, kangaroos, koalas, leopards and snow leopards, lions, mices, mooses, opossums, otters, oryxes, pandas, panthers, pigs, porchupines, raccoons, rats, red pandas, rhinos, sheeps, squirrels, three-toed sloths, tigers, warthogs, weasels, wildebeest, woodchucks, wolverines, wombats, yaks, zebras... even rabbits, foxes and other wolves.

All of them were standing on their places in the bottom, groaning like their minds were empty and all of them had lifelessly greyed eyes like they were all either blind or even brainless zombies.

"Hihihihii! WITH MY ARMY, ALL CANDIES ON THIS HALLOWEEN WILL BE MINE!" Dermal evilly laughing declared, which was reinforced by the zombie-like mammal children's zombie-like moaning from the bottom of the swimming pool.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Chapter 4

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 4**

Back in Barbara's home.

Nick was in low spirits, but not only because he had paid the bill Oates gave to them because Judy had not that much money unlike he did.

Nick had just ended his phone call with chief Bogo and the call didn't went so brightly. The chief wasn't in the sunny mood and he definitely wasn't happy about the deal which Nick made with Oates to investigate in his name this a new case in order to prevent Judy to be brough into jail for the crime she does not remember to commit or even having been involved. Chief Bogo was also considering Judy's possible resignation from the force as punishment for breaking ZPD's code but Nick had succesefully, but just barely, managed to convince Bogo to turn the punishment as parking duty, which really wasn't Judy's favorite job in the force but there was not another way to avoid Judy's near resignation.

Right now, Nick wasn't even in the playing mood when the children asked him to play with them. All what the frustrated and tired fox officer wanted right now was to be left alone to read some book in the armchair.

Until suddenly…

"Uncle Nick! Uncle Nick! Uncle Nick! Come quick!" Sis shouted as she rushed out from the guest room to Nick's arms through beneath of his book, startling the fox officer completely, which nearly caused the whole armchair to fall over to the floor

"Woah! Hey, hey, hey, hey, slow down! Calm down, Sis! No panic! Take it easy! The house is not sinking!" Badly surprised Nick shouted as an attempt to calm both himself and apparentöy panicking rabbid doe down as he tried keep to avoid both him and the armchair to fall over to the floor.

And, after the armchair fell back on its feet...

...and after both the fox officer had recovered from Sis sudden appearance in front of him from beneath of the book and after the small rabbit had at least partially managed to calm down.

"What is it, Sis? What's wrong?" Nick asked.

Sis quickly jumped out from Nick's arms and referred with hurry Nick to follow her.

"You have to come quick! Something is wrong with aunt Judy!"

Sis then disappeared to there from where she had came from.

"Oh, great! Yet another accident within one day." Nick groaned as he jumped up from the armchair.

"What could be terribly wrong than to be depressed today's events?" Nick asked from himself as he followed Sis to the guest room.

As Nick arrived there, Skippy and Tagalong were already there around of Judy.

And when Nick took one look at her, he gasped in shock.

After Oates had left, Judy was thankful to Nick for his support and standing uo for her even though Oates had the full right to take her away, but it could not wipe away her depression and she said that she needs some rest, despite the fact that she has been sat in the armchair all morning.

But right now, she did not lied in the bed but she was rather sitting in there.

Her gray fur had apparently turned much more pale than usual and she moved sleepily like she was in drunk. Her expression was indecipherable… and yet her eyes were turned into lifeless gray and she moaned like her mind was completely empty.

"What happened?!" Nick asked from the kids in shock after seeing Judy in this state and quickly rushed in her side to check her.

"I don't know. We just found her like this." Skippy answered wit hthe concerned tone.

"Is she possessed or is she a zombie?" Tagalong whispered from behind of the bed, holding Sis in her arms.

She and Sis were a bit frightened of Judy's state when the trio had found her from the guest room like this.

There was of course an another reason because she, Skippy, Nick and Sis were watched yesterday two horror movies telling a wicked demons and undead, Which Barbara of course had forbidden her children to watch. However, Nick had belayed that rule when Barbara was briefly gone.

"No. Not of course, Sweetheart. Demoniacal-stuff and the zombies are just the horror movies stuff." Nick said and turned to Judy.

"Judy? Carrots? Is everything okay?"

However, all what Judy said, was the low moaning from her mouth. It also turned into brief howling which a bit frightened Tagalong. Sis took Tagalong in her arms to comfort her a bit frightened little sister.

"What by my tail and pawpsicles has happened to you, Carrots?" Nick asked as he pressed his paw to Judy's forehead. He quickly got his paw off.

"She's not warm… she's stone cold." Nick said in surprise.

"What does that mean? Is aunt Judy sick?" Skippy asked.

"Maybe." Nick said, before he carefully and gently took Judy in his arms and carried her out of the guest room.

"Hey, uncle Nick. Where are you going?" Skippy asked as the white-furred rabbit went after Nick.

On his way, Nick passed Barbara, who had just returned from her day's jogging. Barbara looked in confusion at Nick, who passed him as the foc rushed into entryway and towards the doors, carrying Judy in his arms. He managed to see that Judy did not felt very well, but wasn't aware of Judy's real state.

"Is something wrong with Judy? Where you are taking her, Nicholas." Barbara asked, asking Nick to stop and explain this.

"I'm taking her to Central Hospital. Skippy, Sis and Tagalong found her like this a moment ago in the guest room. I don't know what is wrong with her. Maybe Dr. Madge can tell me what's wrong with her." Nick said as he opened the door and was about to step outside.

"Is she sick?" barbara asked again.

"Short of… but honestly, I don't know." Was all what Nick could say.

But before he managed to take another step in forward and disappear outside from the door, he quickly turned around and targeted his eyes to Barbara.

"But hey, Barbara. You would not happen to have a car what would be designed for animals of my size, and what could I borrow for a moment when I'm taking her to the hospital."

Luckily to Nick, Barbara had indeed bought the fox-sized car that was designed for animals of Nick's size. And Barbara was also willing to allow Nick to borrow whenever he had need to it.

Even though Barbara had the car designed for animals of Nick's size in case if Judy and Nick were willing to take her children to the long drives or to somewhere to have fun for the day, she also had the car designed for the animals of the bunnies size, which Barbara mostly used when to go to work or something else.

Nick was a bit quite surprised that Barbara's answer was a simply nod, due to that he was actually excepting barbara's answer to be completely different from what she gave to him.

And with that, the rabbit doe threw the keys of the car to Nick, who grabbed them from the air and quickly thanked her before he disappeared out of the door, took the car from the garage and drove away from the garden.

* * *

On the way to the hospital...

...much to Nick's surprise, there was numerous warrants attached to the trees on the streets, and each of then had the pic of the mammal child from various different species, both the prey and predator alike.

Such like shrews...

...antelopes...

...armadillos...

...badgers and honey badgers...

...bats...

...beavers...

...black, grizzly and polar bears...

...black-footed ferrets...

...boars...

...camels...

...buffaloes...

...cheetahs...

...cougars...

...elephants...

...gazelles...

...gerbils, hamsters, mices and rats, even though their own warrants were a much smaller than what were the other animals...

...giraffes...

...goats...

...groundhogs...

...hippoes...

...hyenas...

...horses...

...jaguars...

...kangaroos...

...koalas...

...leopards and snow leopards...

...lions...

...mooses...

...opossums...

...otters...

...oryxes...

...pandas and red pandas...

...panthers...

...pigs...

...porchupines...

...raccoons...

...rhinos...

...sheeps...

...squirrels...

...three-toed sloths...

...tigers...

...warthogs...

...weasels...

...wildebeest...

...woodchucks...

...wolverines...

...wolves...

...wombats...

...yaks...

...zebras...

...and yet even rabbits and foxes.

And under of each warrant's pics only two simple and usual writings that "Lost", "Have you seen?" and the phone number of the animal who had placed the warrant.

"Woah, Oates didn't tellus anything about the missing mammal children. Seemingly the same case, that is apparently a much bigger than what i was thinking, is repeating itself, or what Carrots?" Nick asked.

"Carrots?"

Judy only let only the low moan out of her mouth as na response, which reminded Nick that in what kind of state Judy was under right now as she didn't either listen nor she did not even hear what he said.

"Oh, right." He said as he slapped his paw over his forehead as a little self-punishment for completely within minutes forgetting Judy's state.

"Dumb fox."

* * *

Then, at the Central Hospital.

Nick brought Judy to Dr. Madge the Honey Badger, who was arrested for being involved to illegal inprisoning the savaged mammals with Lionheart, but she was released from the charges and that she was free to go... unlike Lionheart, who was the mastermind of his own illegal actions even though he meant good - well, at least partially good - with his actions for the public.

And the best of all for Madge, the Honey Badger had got her job back after several weeks when Judy and Nick sent Bellwether to the prison after exposing her conspiracy and hustling her to confess her crimes against the predatory population of Zootopia.

Luckily to them both, the honey badger did not held any grudge against them for her arrest, due to the fact that she herself had highly protested Lionheart's actions from the start the Night Howler incident began.

Madge had also got the shorter judgment than what Lionheart did, because Lionheart was the mastermind of the secret operations of kidnapping and illegal imprisoning the savaged mammals... even though this was all for good reason to keep Zootopia's peace and harmony in safe and avoid the chaos to break between of prey and predator, as well as protect his own personal reasons, of course, such like his own reputation as a predatory mayor of Zootopia.

It took some time from Madge to check Judy's examinate Judy's state of health in doctor's office, before Dr. Madge asked Nick to pay visit on her office, where Judy was as well, placed to sit in the another chair next to the desk.

"Is everything alright with Judy, Dr. Madge?" Nick asked as he sat down to the chair in opposite side of Dr. Madge's desk.

"Mostly, yes and no, Mr. Wilde." Dr. Madge answered.

This caused Nick to look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean. What does that "Mostly, yes and no" thing even means. What is wrong with Judy?" Nick asked again, impatiently demanding the answer..

"Well, Mr. Wilde. I examinated Mrs. Hopps' the physical condition from the tips of her ears to her little bunny toes... as well as all her senses. Despite her apparent outer ill-look, everything seems to be fine. Her body is in good condition, but…"

This was followed by the prief pause between of two mammals.

"But what?" Nick asked.

"I cannot say the same about her head."

Nick was quite speechless… at least briefly.

"Yeah, I already know. Her pupils were oddly gray and she moans as if she would be like an empty shell or something." Nick said.

"Yes, Mr. Wilde. Because, for now, she is now… only empty brainless shell." Madge confirmed.

Nick almost interpreted these words as an insult towards his partner, who is usually anything but brainless, and was almost about to jump from his seat like the launched rocket and bared his teeth in anger until Madge quickly interrupted him from doing so and calmed him down.

"And that's not a new thing to me today."

Nick quickly calmed down and sat back down.

"What do you mean, Dr.?"

"Earlier today, I got as my a new patient a young elephant, Jerry Gray. Famous teenager skater, at least among of his elephant friends. His parents believed their son either having become blind from the camera's bright flashlights when he and his friends took the pictures of him the last night or then he had caught a cold, because last night was pretty cool and he was out in the low clothes. His parents interpreted it at first as a little cold because that Jerry's skin was pale-gray, until they noticed that he barely even moved his limbs and trunk nor did he do any other movement, with the exception of slowly swinging from the side to another like he was drunk. And not to mention about the fact that he moaned lowly and oddly to them and that he felt cold like stone instead of burning up." Madge explained.

"Jerry Gray… eh?" Nick said with the humorous yet still bitter tone, because he knew that little elephant buddy's father.

When he was half younger from his present age, Nick always saw Jerry's father and his young elephant gang skating in the Central Park and he was his gang's prime leader and top skater… or at least he said so. Once he had challenged Nick to the skateboarding competition on the streets… which badly ended Nick getting into the troubles with the cops after accidentally breaking the passing Police Cruisers windshield after the jump over the wooden hedge.

Nick could make a bet for two hundred bucks for the fact, that the whole competition was only the plot set up by the prejudiced elephants against him and get him into the trouble instead of them... just because he was a fox.

"So you know this guy?" Madge's interruption made Nick to snap out of his thoughts.

"At least his father, maybe too well, but never mind. That's not important thing." Nick said after clearing his throat.

"By the way… This Jerry does have very same troubles like Judy has right now?"

Madge nodded at Nick.

"So, please continue." Nick gently gestured.

Madge nodded in appreciation for the fox polite attitude, despite the fact that he was the fox, and continued explaining.

"Yes, very same troubles as officer Hopps has right now. And this is not any natural trouble. I'll say that this is about a some kind of hypnosis."

Nick's mouth fell open after hearing this.

"Hypnosis?"

"Yes." Madge responded positively.

"Well, if this is about a hypnosis, have you tried to wake her from that odd hypnosis up by clicking fingers?" Nick asked, knowing that that quite old trick in the case of hypnosis was only "so-called" solution to snap the hypnotized person out of his hypnotized state.

"Done already, but no effect." Madge answered almost immediately.

"I don't know what kind of hypnosis this is, and why should I know. Hypnosis is only a circus stuff what the animals working in the circus use to amuse and make the mammals to laugh in circus. Luckily to you, there's a Halloween event, with Halloween circus, that just arrived to the city the last night. In case that if you did not know about this, they are this very moment building an event on theTown Square. Maybe you should find something from there either as cure or clue at this, officer Wilde." Madge answered.

Nick sighed out of frustration.

"What do you mean, Dr. Madge. Aren't you gonna help Judy or what?" Nick almost yelled at madge in frustration.

"Impatience, frustration and angrily barking do not help her very much, Mr. Wilde." Madge said, trying to calm down the frustrated fox officer.

"Besides, I would help her yes, if I just could, but it seems now that only the original hypnotist may withdraw this hypnotic spell from officer Hopps. Unfortunately, I cant' do anything else to this matter, and I'm sorry for that." Madge said, much to Nick's dismay.

Nick was about to jump off from the seat, until he suddenly felt the urge to ask something else.

"Wait! Was there more details about Jerry's case. I mean, did he commit or was he involved and eventually caught either by his parents or ZPD's night patrol in the act of the theft in the last night... theft that associated with sweets from some shop?" Nick asked, suspecting that this Jerry might have come across the same person who had ambushed Judy with the C-word from behind, which was soon followed by the candy theft in the Shopping Paradise... and to Judy's current state.

Good news were that Madge had some kind of answer to that... but the bad news were that the answers were not what he had expected.

"Yes and no. You see, his parents told me that they were looking for him the last night after they noticed that Jerry Gray was for hours late from the agreed timetable for when he should have come home. They found him, after an hour of searching, near of the candy store, but not from stealing."

"But however, he still got berated by his parents for being late, right?" Nick asked eagerly.

"Yes, but the boy, instead of ashamed, acted like he was completely lost, and yet and he reacted with confusion to the beratings he received from his parents for not coming home as they had agreed. And the boy yet had no idea of how he managed to be late from the timetable hee had agreed with his parents, as his last recollection was that he was exiting from the candy shop a seconds ago." Madge said.

Nick started to get a skeptical of this.

"Memory?" Nick asked again.

"Yes. You see, officer Wilde, confused, Jerry told his parents in defense that he was on his way to home until he crossed the paths with someone in the shadows in the nearby alley and everything then turned black in his eyes, but only for a seconds before everything turned clearer again. However, He felt a little dizzy after that blackout but was able to walk normally."

"And it was then when he noticed that the candy bag he had bought from the candy shop and what he was holding in his hand before blackout, was missing. Disappeared from his grasp like the ashes into the air. Stolen, no doubt, by the shadowy figure whose son encountered in the entrance of the alley. Jerry's parents had also said that Jerry had no idea that what kind of species was the one who stole his candies. That's all what they said to me." Madge explained.

And after Madge had finished, Nick sighed out of dismay, because he was expecting for a new information about this case rather than an old information that related closely to Judy's incident, albeit it was in a different version this time.

* * *

Soon, after leaving from the Central Hospital...

Depressed Nick and still empty-minded and zombie-like acting Judy were on the road again, heading back at the Barbara's.

During of the silent drive, Nick recalled everything new information he had heard from Madge about this, trying to find from them even a single clue that makes more sense or which would help him in this case...

...during of which and driving, Nick mumbled quietly out of frustration and anger that he did not receive any help from the hospital for Judy, only such of clues tips that seem to be more nonsense or the childish speaking.

" _Hypnosis… only original hypnotist… Halloween event and Halloween circus… Hypnosis is only a circus stuff... my apologizes but I cant' do anything else to this matter..._ she said." Nick murmured, mockingly imitating Madge's words.

And finally, Nick let out the loud moan out of the frustration and puzzlement.

"What on earth I can do?" Nick asked from himself.

He had now less than one and half day time to solve this case in order to clean Judy's name and save her from being threw in the jail, but so far he has not made any progress in this whole case. The information he received Dr. Madge at least gave to him a start to this case, but they weren't enough to get this case to progress...

...and all of that speaking of hypnosis and the extremely high-leveled lack of evidence of hypnosis being involved of this case, despite the states and the similarities between of Judy and Jerry Gray's incidents and cases, wasn't good enough to be reported to detective Oates.

Nick's question he asked from himself was a good question enough...

 _What he was supposed to do now?_

Nick drove through the same way where the multiple warrants of the missing mammal children were located and attached against the trees. Now, there was two times even more warrants than what was then when Nick was taking Judy to the hospital.

Suddenly, Nick's eye catched two mammals from the streets!

Both of them were zebras and they were attaching a new warrant to the tree.

Because they seemed clearly to be a very desperate and almost on the verge of crying, Nick decided to pay a visit with the zebras to see if everything was okay - though iot was clearly see nthat nothing wasn't okay with the poor zebra couple. So, he instantly stopped the car to the edge of the street for a moment, with no willing to pay parking fine for the wrong parking.

And before stepping out from the car, Nick needed to ensure Judy's safety at first, due to her being unable to fend herself in that state.

And because of that, even though with the knowledge and under of that strange state, Judy wasn't able to escape anywhere from the car but just in case, Nick activated the car's each doors child locks to keep empty-minded Judy inside, while he was doing the officer-business with the zebras.

Nick also locked the car's driver's seats door after stepping out from the car and closing the door of the driver's seat.

And after that, the fox then started to walk towards the zebras.

"Uh, excuse me." Nick started, not wanting to even accidentally startle the already stressed-looking zebras and particularly not wanting to make them feel suspicious of his presence because of him being a fox.

The zebras, however, startled of Nick's sudden call nonetheless.

Zebras, they always have to be so shy mammals in Zootopia and thus easily scared, even though no one ever intended to scare them. And yet one of the Junior Scouts was the zebra, who wasn't afraid nor hesitated to join the other prey mammals to bully him with the muzzle.

It is just as annoying as the good memory of the elephants when they always remember something from the past that has offended them and they always cost it to other animals... such like foxes. The owner of Jumbeaux's Café, Jerry Jumbeaux, Jr. is good example for that.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah! No Panic and Run, zebras! Easy there. I didn't mean to scare you to half-dead." Nick said to the zebras, before he took out his officer badge to show it to the zebras.

"Officer Nicholas Wilde, ZPD." Nick said as he took out from his pocket his badge to show it to the zebra couple, to prove to them that he was a police officer and that he was here only to help and check that what was bothering them.

After seeing the badge and realizing that they had crossed the paths with the first fox officer of Zootopia, the partner of the first rabbit officer of Zootopia and who was hailed as a hero for saving Zootopia from the chaos the last treacherous mayor had caused, the zebras seemed to calm down as they let out the sigh in relief...

...which, however, quickly turned into desperate and sorrowful expression.

"Pardom me to disturb your peaceful day, which seemingly is not quite sunny to you two. No offense of course, but… what's wrong with you two?" Nick asked politely, as he put his badge back into his pocket.

Zebra woman gestured with her hoof the warrant which her husband had just attached to the tree.

Nick went closer to look at the warrant, in middle of the which was the pic of two young zebra twins under the written "Lost."

"Our little sweethearts… Tony and Bud… disappeared the last night. We've tried to look for them from everywhere from the whole neighborhood but there's not any trace of them. Nobody has even seen them lately. We are sick of concern and in desperate." The zebra woman said tearfully.

"Oh boy." Nick murmured sadly, understanding the zebra's concern.

"Have you two made any report of your missing children to ZPD?" Nick asked as he turned from the warrant at the zebra parents. Both of them nodded positively as an answer.

"We already did this morning, before we came here to attach the warrants to the trees, in case if anyone of this neighborhood can help us to find them." Female zebra answered tearfully.

"Because you're that famous officer Nicholas Wilde, who helped the famous rabbit officer Judy Hopps to find the missing mammals the last time and solve the Night Howler Incident, right? Can you please help us to find our kids and bring them home?" The male zebra asked with the pleading tone from Nick.

It didn't took long from Nick to notice that he had found himself from the very same trouble - again - like he did about year and seven months ago… found himself in middle of the missing mammal case.

"Weird that Detective Oates didn't mention anything about the missing children." Nick mumbled quietly and he started to think of the extent of the case and the possibilities that the hypnosis and the missing mammal children somehow related to each other.

"What?" The confused Zebras asked, snapping Nick out of his thoughts.

"What? Uh… yes. I can. I myself have a bit of a hurry to solve the Shopping Paradise case but I do what I can. With the fox officer's word of honor." Nick said as he waved as a goodbye to the zebras and started to walk back towards his car.

"Oh, thank you, officer Wilde." Zebra woman said after him with the grateful smile.

"Bless you, fox." Male zebra said after him as well.

This made Nick to smile a bit as he opened the car's door and sat to the driver's seat and drove away, waving for the last time at the zebra couple.

"Hmm… Judy was ambushed with the C-word from behind and then got hypnotized… probably to steal that bar from the Shopping Paradise and was left, without even a memory of committing the crime, to take the blame for that… A little jerk of the big elephant jerk presumably got hypnotized as well... probably to give his candy bag to the hypnotist... and then snaps out of it without a memory of it... and now, those two's zebra children got disappeared the last night when the Shopping Paradise crime and Jerry's incident happened, probably kidnapped or something." Nick mumbled.

"Hmm… something strange is going on here, which oddly brings my mind two things… candies and children. But why?" Nick murmured while driving, recalling in his mind everything he had heard today.

 **TO BE CONTINUE...**


	5. Chapter 5

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 5**

A New Bunny Partner.

After taking Judy back to Barbara's and setting her to rest on the guest room's bed and covering her limb form under of the blanket to keep her warm, Nick decided to go to the little evening walk in the neighborhood.

And during of his walk, Nick kept all his senses in full alert for the possible suspicious activity of the night in the neighborhoods streets.

And yet he had something personal things to do.

During of his night walk, Nick paid the visit at the neighborhood's phone booth and decided to call to Detective Oates, not caring in which mood he was right now, either sunny or rainy… meaning grumpy.

And, as he expected, Detective Oates was indeed in a bad mood and he remained in grumpy mood during the whole call… but it was not because of the case hasn't progressed much, but rather from the whole call, which had either came too early by his opinion or then Nick's call had interrupted something very important event in the another side of the line.

However, without begging the bardon for his interruption, Nick informed to Oates all the information he had received during the day.

"I'm telling you, Detective Oates, that was all what Dr. Madge told me back in her office. Judy was placed under the some kind of hypnosis by the one who ambushed her with C-word on that night when the crime in the Shopping Paradise happened. Meaning that in fact, Judy has been innocent all of time and she's innocent even right now." Nick said with the serious tone.

However...

"So what, Wilde? Only words are not enough to proof her innocence. You need a better evidence to proof her innocence if you wish to help her to avoid the judgement about the theft." Oates said quite rudely.

Nick let out the annoyed growl of hearing this.

Oates was still speaking of the crime with the tone as if it was some even more serious crime.

"Well, what about the missing children, then? Huh?" Nick said, rising his voice in the phone out of impatience and being annoyed of Oates attitude to the high level, as he changed the subject.

"What about them?"

"Judy is not only one who has faced the incident like this." There's a several prey and predator children gone missing the last night. One zebra couple told me this couple hours ago and I'm suspecting these incidents as an kidnappings, which would have happened also to Judy as well if I had not found her in time the last night." Nick explained.

Nick could heard Oates' snort out of frustration and annoyance.

"Officer Wilde, If I remember correctly, our deal concerned a case related to the robbery in the Shopping Paradise and to your pathetic attempt to try to prove your partner's innocence to the theft in the Shopping Paradise before the last night on Halloween… not to the missing mammal case, because I'm already on it right NOW." Oates stated angrily.

"Yes but… haloo… haloo… haloo. Haloo!" Nick yelled, but Oates had already cut the calling.

Out of frustration and anger, Nick stepped out from the phone booth and started to walk back at Barbara's.

"Bah! It's like yelling to the stubborn wall which barely even answers back!" Nick hissed angrily.

"Well, who cares! I'm gonna show that big old sourpuss-like Detective-Horse-Butt that FROM WHAT and FOR WHAT this fox officer is made for… especially when it is about my partner's innocence and those poor kidnapped zebra kids." Nick declared, as he headed back to Barbara's.

* * *

Later in Barbara's...

Barbara had just returned from today's shopping trip back to her home, where Sis, Tagalong and the rest of her children making more jack-o'-lantern (carved pumpkins) in the living room of their house.

Most of pumpkins were carved to resemble to look like bunnies with the zombie- or hag-face or with with vampire teeth. And there was also one pumpkin, which was carved to bear the resemble the faces of the one-eyed and sharp-fanged bunny-like alien with the long antenna in between of the rabbit ears made for the pumpkin and the tentacle-like limbs beneath of it.

Having recovered from the shocking news from the morning and wearing the smiles on their faces again, Sis and Tagalong were both together carving two pumpkins to look like Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, which they placed to look like they were lovingly nuzzling each others, which got both the rabbit girls to giggle to their work when it was ready.

Also Barbara smiled at her little girls' creation when she passed her little girls, even letting the silent giggle to escape from her mouth.

Barbara eyed one by one all her children carving diligently different Halloween-styled face-looks to the pumpkins, until she suddenly noticed that someone, or someones, were missing from the group.

"Hey, kids? Where are Skippy and Nick? Weren't they supposed to make more jack-o'-lantern with us tonight?" Barbara asked from her children.

Almost none of her children had not idea about Nick and Skippy, until it was Sis's turn to say something, because she probably knew where they had gone.

"Skippy left with uncle Nick to another night walk." Sis said.

This caught Barbara out of surprise.

"What?!" Barbara exclaimed surprised and immediately turned her attention at the wall clock, which was a half past ten o'clock at night.

"Skippy is with Uncle Nick out at this time of night? And he didn't inform me anything about this? Not even with the phone call?" Barbara said in disbelief.

"What's the problem, mom? Uncle Nick is a street-smart fox and yet cop. With Uncle Nick Skippy is in safe from everything out there." Sis said calmly and continued carving pumpkins with her big sister.

"And not to mention about how adventurous, energetic and yet daredevil my little brother actually is. Let's see how many times Uncle Nick catches my foolhardy brother from balancing on the top of the long wooden fence... or climbing to the top of the highest tree... maybe even skateboarding on the streets and the car road, if Skippy took his skateboard with him... or, who knows, tried foolhardy play as brave and aunt Judy by playing tough bunny in front of the bigger predators." Tagalong said with the sarcastic tone about his, showing that she didn't admire much her little brother's adventurous and daredevil attitude.

Tagalong kept a small pause, before she continued...

"Uncle Nick told that bureaucratic horse did not take Uncle Nick seriously today when he made the phone call to him, and that he mentioned to Skippy that he is definitely forced to do detective work, even when it went against the limits in the agreement Uncle Nick did with him. And so, Uncle Nick said that he needed Skippy's help in his detective work and…"

Sis's ears suddenly jumped upwards over her head and her eyes widened in shock, as she realized that her big sister was unintentionally revealing to their mother the secret which they promised to keep in secret from their mother.

And, to prevent her big sister from saying anything more, Sis jumped up on her feet and hurriedly wrapped her tiny paw over Tagalong's mouth before she would tell more to their mother.

Her sister's sudden act caught Tagalong out of susprise and off guard, leaving her next words to come as a mumbling through of her little sister's paw over her mouth and against of each others sealed fingers.

However, Sis acted too late, as Barbara had already heard enough.

"HE DID WHAT?!" Barbara shouted with the scolding tone, that caused both Sis and Tagalong to slightly and nervously back off.

The rest of the family remained in aside and stayed out of this.

"Nicholas took my little seven-ears-old son into this dangerous work... and none of you two bothered to tell me about this anything EARLIER?!" The bunny mother exclaimed out of disappointment towards her daughters...

...and, right now on, towards the certain fox!

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the first crime scene.

Nick and Skippy had arrived back to there from where this entire mess got its start: On the street near of the Shopping Paradise and in the same place from where Nick had found Judy from lying on the ground with her shopping bags.

"Alright. when I found her the last night before this whole mess, she lied in this spot. Nobody else were around of us when I arrived here, or at least I didn't saw anybody else, and she told me that she was ambushed from behind of her back… with the C-word. But the strange thing was that nothing had been stolen from her." Nick explained shortly to Skippy, who listened Nick from the next of him.

"And where she said she was standing when someone called her cute, uncle Nick?" Skippy asked.

Thinking quickly and making the quick decision by recalling his memory from the last night, Nick pointed with his finger at the spot near the entrance of the alley, where he found her and in where he himself believed Judy to be standing when someone called her with that "cute" word.

"There, after passing the first corner of the entrance of the dark alley next of this street." Nick answered, gesturing the entrance to the alley in the opposite street.

The fox officer and the bunny rushed to the another side of the road, until they were standing in the next of the entrance of the alley.

And once there, Skippy took the look at the dark alley, even though the rabbits night vision was poor compared to the foxes.

Nick had once told him that the dark alleys are always the perfect hideaway for the trouble-makers and even some criminals hunting the weaker and lone ones, thanks of the alley's darkness at night timess and the numerous hiding spots like the doors leading to the abandoned buildings and apartments, garbage cans and dark corners.

However, even though he was the small bunny and despite he wasn't capable to see in the dark alley, Skippy didn't show any sign of fear in his face.

More likely, he had a quite eager expression on his faces instead, showing that Skippy wasn't afraid of darkness at all, and that he seemed to be ready to foolishly rush into the alley to see that what was in there.

However, instead of foolhardy rushing into the darkness without knowing that what might be out there, Skippy decided to halt himself but not out of the fear.

It was then when Skippy turned to Nick.

"Do you think that the bad guy came from there when aunt Judy was about to pass the alley?"

Certain about that possible fact, Nick nodded as a response, because the alleys were never any nice places, especially at night time, when the law did not have a room in the dark alleys.

At night times, the alleys turned into the hostile territories/dens of the outlawed mammals and the gangs of trouble-making hooligans with the unfriendly attitudes towards the outsiders, not wanting anyone in outside of the alleys passing their so called "territories."

Nick has experiences of this, as an ex-con artist before meeting Judy, Nick had either negligently or foolishly passed one of the alley, where the gang of criminal-like underworld mammals were holding their meeting by drinking alcohol, smoking, fist-fighting each others or playing billiards. But once Nick appeared on their sight, they all had immediately stopped their doings and shot their menacing eyes at him as he negligently walked pass of the crowd. However, none in the gang didn't make the life-threatening move towards Nick back then, just kept their eyes on him until he was out of their sight and gone from the alley.

However, there was still some even more hostile trouble-makers that hides in the shadows of the alley waiting to ambush anyone who dared to walk pass of the alley, making from the poor trespasser an victim of either robbery or physical abuse.

"Do you think that that bad guy had some friends helping him?" Skippy asked.

However, Nick had quite a different view of that.

"Judy mentioned about the one guy, Skippy. If there were others helping that "guy," Judy would have mentioned that she was about to walk through of the alley until she got surrounded by the small group in middle of the alley instead of that one who said that C-word behind of Judy's back... but no. I think that were playing this game only with one bad guy, at least I believe so." Nick answered...

...as he kept his eyes on the darkness in the alley, using his night vision to see if there was happening any suspecting.

But nothing didn't happen.

Nick mused for a moment and then decided to go in with a flashlight.

"Because of the bad guys hiding in the shadows of the alley, who are most surely taller than me myself, it's probably best for you, Skippy, if you stay here until my return." Nick said and was about to enter to alley, until Skippy grabbed from his right wrist, pulling him back.

"But Uncle Nick, you said we're gonna work together with this case." Skippy said with the pleading tone.

Even though Skippy wasn't afraid of darkness, the young white-furred rabbit, who happened to be seven-years-old, always started to feel himself quite uncomfortable alone in middle of the city,

"Yes, I said Skippy. But as a cop, I'm also responsible about your safety. Your mother's gonna skin me alive if something bad happens to you. And, as a cop, I can take care of myself but my chances to beat any bad guy will lower over half percent if I have to take care of you during the fight." Nick said.

"Besides, I'm not saying this to make you freak out, but in the alley might be some animals, who would not hesitate to abuse the children... including the ones in your age. That's why I cannot risk the civilian's life on my work, Skippy." Nick said and was about to enter again to the alley, but Skippy pullet him back again.

"You said that the streets might be dangerously full of the bad guys at the night as well as the alleys. So, the only safe place is only near of you. I'm coming with you Uncle Nick, no matter what you say as a protest." Skippy said, still with the stubborn pleading tone on his voice.

"Besides, I got prepared for the encounter with the bad guys. Look."

Skippy opened eagerly his coat to show to Nick that what did he took with him to this night walk and what he had hidden under his coat before they both left from Barbara's.

"I took with me a rope and climbing hook, water gun, slingshot, black cloak for hiding, my own night vision binoculars and a wooden sword just in case... and I took even some smoke bombs with me." Skippy listed, as he took one of them from the small bag, in which he was keeping them, inside of his coat.

Nick took the smoke bombs from Skippy's paw and eyed it, finding out that Skippy's "smoke bombs" were actually the firecrackers.

"May I ask, where did you get these things?" Nick asked from Skippy, reminding the young bunny with the scolding face look that the such of fireworks are dangerous in the wrong hands.

"We bought them for the New Year's day." Skippy said. "Perfect weapon to distract the enemies with the small explosions and the thick smoke while we run away from the bad guys. Genius, isn't it, uncle Nick?"

As an police officer, and because of his sense of duty as well as the laws governing the use of fireworks, Nick felt a great urge to confiscate such of things away from Skippy, but he had to admit that Skippy, despite for his young age, was a quite genius little bunny to be prepared for the worse just in case.

Nick then kneeled down in front of Skippy, so that their heads were in the same level.

Nick then wrapped his fingers around of the firecrackers in his paws.

"I'll keep this one and you may keep the rest. But ONLY if you promise to uncle Nick that you will not use those things until the worst happens... and don't use them before New Year's Eve. Have we deal?" Nick said with the sly grin.

It did not take long from Skippy to decide.

"Alright, Uncle Nick, only if you yourself promise to me that you and aunt Judy are at presence when we shoot the rockets into the night sky at New Year's Eve. Deal?" Skippy asked firmly.

Nick could not help but give a laugh.

And then, Nick lifted his right open paw up in front of Skippy.

"High four, Bat bunny. As a sign that we have a deal." Nick said, earning the smile from Skippy.

"Fine, Robin Hood. Even if the two." Skippy said and both of them, laughing for the nicknames they gave to each other, gave each other high four.

And then, Nick agreed to let Skippy to come with him to keep an company, when he bounced from the ground on his feet and turned around towards the alley.

But, however, when they both were about to enter to the dark alley, Nick suddenly halted to the entrance and turned to Skippy, saying that they are now going under of the guidance of his natural night vision what the bunnies don't have. And because of that, Nick demanded that if Skippy wanted to come with him, he had to walk right next of him and holding him from his paw...

...much to Skippy's shock and embarrassment.

Nick also added to Skippy that it was the way to prevent him getting lost to the alley's darkness, he liked it or not.

Skippy greatly disliked the idea of walking paw to paw, because as an seven-years-old rabbit buck, he felt it to be too embarrassing for his developed "Tough Boy" attitude and he usually attempted to avoid being walked paw to paw out of fear of being called "mama's boy," "wuss" or "loser" among his school friends.

However, though reluctantly, Skippy agreed and took from Nick's arm.

"Do not make me regret this, Skippy." Nick murmured quietly...

...before they both finally entered into the alley and disappeared from the street.

The dark alley was a disgustingly messing and stinky place, full of the overly filled garbage cans and garbage bags and the ground was covered by… both Skippy and Nick didn't even want to know on which they were walking. The air in the alley was filled by the smell of spoiled fish and the smell of sweat, which made both of them to put their paws on their noses to prevent themselves to sniff such of smell. There were also some rats, who after spotting two larger mammals walking right towards them quickly ran to the cover behind the garbage bags and cans as Nick and Skippy, carring less about the little street rats, simply passed them.

Then was the worse place, when Nick and Skippy passed a group larger mammals.

There was the trio of spotted hyenas, dressed into the gray spotted hoodies and who were playing the card while smoking.

One of them, probably the leader of the trio, was the medium-sized "handsome" teenager hyena, who had the pointed ears and mohawk-like spiky black mane along with the spiky tuft of hair upon his head.

Another one hyena was small-sized and quite skinny. And yet he had a quite messy mane. This hyena had also big yellow lopsided eyes, and he had a couple large round cuts on each of his pointed ears and yet his tongue was hanging out from his mouth.

And the third and big one of the trio was well-built bald hyena, who had the round ears, a thick neck and a large, round jaw and yet he had a rather tough attitude.

The hyenas immediately paused their card game and turned their gazes at Nick and Skippy, as they were about to pass them.

Nick cared less of the presence of the hyenas, who payed at him the territorial look with the hint of sceptical attitude towards Nick's species the foxes, despite being the fellow predators.

However, the hyenas seemed to be a quite interested of Skippy with the fox, as they all three locked their "happy" looks at him along with the wide and greepy teeth baring grins, and the trio's leader's two friends even tied the napkin collars around of their necks and took out forks and knives...

...which caused Skippy to feel a quite uncomfortable in the presence of the hyenas with such of opinion of him and such of attitude, and that yet even caused Skippy to hide behind of Nick for protection while walking.

As they passed the hyenas, Nick shook his head.

"Hyenas, they always like to act like that in the presence of the prey animals... at least those ones like those three." Nick explained to Skippy.

And after passing the hyenas, they kept walking straight along the alley, during of which Nick looked to everywhere to see if there was anything suspicious..

However, for now...

They found nothing suspecting about the real bad guy from the alley...

...but all what they did find was only three in the alley sleeping homeless mammals, the huge and obese grizzly bear, who had dressed into the sleeveless red shirt and dark-blue loose pants. He wore over his red shirt the dark-brown bear-fur hoodie and he also had the blue sailor hat overhis head.

His companions in the same alley were the drunken and loudly snoring wolf and cougar, who were sleeping in the opposide side of the alley surrounded by the dozens of empty alcohol bottles, who were totally out from drinking of alcohol that the light of Nick's flashlight did not disturb them at all.

However, unlike the wolf and cougar, the grizzly was disturbed by the light of Nick's flashlight and that he rose to sit to see that who was disturbing his slumber.

Nick politely apologized ffrom the bear for unintentionally interrupting the bear's slumber, but...

"Get out of here, you you filthy, scabby mutt! Go to eat garbages in elsewhere" The bear sleepily yet rudely said in exchange to Nick's polite apology before he was about to go back to sleep.

However, Skippy get annoyed for such of words towards the fox he idolized the most than anyone else... and in vengenace, Skippy took out his water gun and despite Nick's protests against the idea, Skippy sprayed with the water gun the water at the grizzly bear's face.

The grizzly was caught off guard by this sudden act that the large predator immediately woke up from his sleepy state.

And after Skippy ran out the water from his water gun, The grizzly spluttered the water out of his mouth and muzzle and wiped the remaining water off from his faces... before he lifted his head up and turned to the direction of the fox, who was still standing nearby.

And, it was then when the bear actually spotted Skippy standing next to the fox and holding the water gun in his paws.

"You damned filthy little long-eared brat!" Grizzly roared out of pure anger. , and his roar

Both of them backed off, as the hulking bear stood up on his feet in front of Nick and Skippy and let out the extreme strong and loud roar, which was so loud that it echoed loudly and deeply in the narrrow air space of the alley, which alerted every mammal in the alley or in outside of the alley about the wrath of the bear.

The angry bear then lowered his head down, growling angrily at down both Rick and Skippy, especially Skippy.

The bear then took out and lifted into the air the large baseball bat in order to beat Skippy, which caused the small white-furred rabbit to yelp and rush behind of Nick's back for protection, though it seemed to be no use, as the bear prepared to beat up Nick first before he was able to get his massive paws onto Skippy.

However, the bear never got the chance as Nick quickly took out his officer badge and the extremely powerful taser gun, aiming with both of them at the bear.

"A, a, a, a, aa, pall. Officer Nicholas Wilde, ZPD." Nick said calmly but yet sternly to the bear, forcing the brute bear to slowly back off.

"Remember, one hit with that bat to the head, either mine or his, I have full right to arrest you for the assault at the police officer and the little child. And know that my taser gun is on that level that I can take down even an gigantic rogue elephant with one single shot if I have to. So, if you don't want to spend your night in jail, or the years in the jail for the assault against the police officer, drop the bat and do back to your own business." Nick added with the serious police officer tone.

The bear hesitated to give up at first, but knowing that when the smaller fox was as serious as the lion or rhino officer and having the upper paw with the taser gun with the ability to take down the rogue elephant, the grizzly couldn't help but to give up...

...so he dropped the bat to the ground and angrily murmuring laid back to the ground to continue his slumber.

And after the situation was under control, Nick put both the taser gun, after turning it off, and his officer badge back to his pockets and turned to Skippy with the scolding finger and stern expression on his face.

"Don't you ever do that again, young man." Nick said sternly to Skippy...

...because the last thing what Nick wanted was get into the troubles with the larger and aggressive mammals who lived beyond the law and on the streets...

...before he took from Skippy's paw again and they kept walking towards the another end of the alley.

* * *

Later...

It did not took long from Nick and Skippy before they finally reached to the another side of the alley, without finding anything suspecting within the darkness and the shadows of the alley.

Nick was frustrated after exiting from the alley empty handed and yet desperate for poor Judy's ultimate fate between of being police officer, first rabbit officer, and the prison inmate, treated like some kind of dangerous criminal because of one simple and quite harmless theft in the Shopping Paradise.

"If there isn't something suspecting, or any clue about the bad guy what was left unnoticed by Detective Oates, the whole search for clues from that alley with the flashlight was all for nothing." Nick said, letting out the deep sigh of frustration.

But it was then when Skippy tugged at his own hoodie's sleeve to get his attention.

"Well, I'm not agree with you, uncle Nick. Not at least in that one." Skippy said, as he held on his paw a torn piece of cloth, much to Nick's confusion

"I found this with the help of my night vision binoculars, which I took into use after our encounter with that bear. It was hanging in the end of the nail sticking out from the wooden fence back in the alley." Skippy added, as he stretched the the piece of cloth holding paw towards Nick... gesturing him to take it.

Nick kneeled down a bit and gently took the piece into his paws from Skippy's own and began to feel it in his paw's furry skin and even sniffing it in front of his nose for a bit to find out its material.

"This fabric is quite good quality. Probably silk, I think. It is usually used in the silk capes used by the mammals who works as a the magicians in the circus." Nick said, after examining the piece of cloth.

"How do you know that?" Skippy asked, a bit confused but with the eager and interested-like look in his faces when he heard the word "circus."

"You see, in the earlier days of my life as an con artist, I used to act like the street magician to amuse some children with the with some conjuring trick I self-learned. And for that, I snatched the magican's hat and silk cape to perform as a street magician." Nick explained.

"And secondly, those knuckleheads back in the alley never wear such of quality of silk by themselves." Nick said before he stoop up.

"Well done, little Detective Skippy." Nick said with the jocking tone, as he gently stroked Skippy's head between of his ears to congratulate him for his discovery of the clue, which made both of them heartily laugh.

"Good. We have a first clue, but we need a bit more than just a piece of cloth." Nick happily and with a newfound hope declared, before he turned back to Skippy.

"Did you find something else with your night vision binoculars, Detective Skippy?" Nick asked.

Then Skippy looked down to his feets.

"Well, Uncle Nick, you're kind of right now standing on it."

This strange respond surprised Nick and he quickly lowered his head down to look at his feets, eyeing the ground around of his feet for a while before he noticed nearly the unnoticeable footprints beneath of his own feet.

Nick quickly kneeled down by all fours to sniff the footsprint from closer in order to recognize the scent of maker of these footprints, which was quite difficult because there was dozens of different scents, and not mention about the dirt on the street, mixed with the scent in the footsprint, and to find out their date.

It took more that just half of hour to recognize the maker of the footprint by scent, until Nick finally got the right scent what he was seeking from the footprint.

"The footprint seems to be more than just one day old… and its maker's species is clear now." Nick said as he lifted his head up to watch to Skippy, who was standing aside, eyeing Nick's progress and waiting excited to get to hear Nick judgment about the scent's owner."

"Timber wolf."

Skippy's excited smile turned into more excited after hearing the criminal's species.

"So, the bad guy is the wolf by his or hers species, right? Can we go now hunt down that wolf baddie who framed aunt Judy fro that candy theft back in the Shopping Paradise the last night?" Skippy said eagerly and jumping impatiently around of Nick.

"Not so fast, Skippy." Nick suddenly said.

Skippy's ears dropped down against the back of his head and his eager look in his faces faded away from his faces out of disappointment.

"But Nick, we have to hunt this bad guy down before this mess gets any worse." Skippy said in frustration.

"I know, I know, Skippy. But knowing the real criminal's species from the footprints and the torn piece of piece of cloth aren't yet enough to prove Judy's innocence. We need to know the identity of the person in question... and we also need the footage from that how this wolf commits his crimes, which is even the bigger evidence to proof Judy's innocence." Nick stated, with satisfaction that the case has been finally progressed... even this far.

Nick then turned to Skippy.

"Does not you happen to have a camera with you, Skippy?"

Skippy nodded immediately as an response to Nick's question and he started to search for a camera, which he also took with him to this case but left it without telling to Nick unlike with the rest of his stuff, from his coat's pockets.

And then, Skippy found it and handed it over to Nick.

"Be careful with it, Uncle Nick. You see, it's originally my mother's camera as a gift from my dad, and it cost a fortune, or my dad at least said so." Skippy warned as Nick carefully and gently took the camera from his paw.

"Good work, Detective Skippy." Nick said and stroked again Skippy's head.

"Now, if you give me a minute or two, I take a several pics of this footprint and then, we pay a visit in the Halloween Town in the Town Square. The people out there is our first suspects." Nick said before he started to take a pictures from the footprint to recover the second clue.

Skippy was very excited and happy of being part of the detective work with his hero cop Nick Wilde.

But the white-furred rabbit was even more excited when Nick mentioned that they're going to pay the visit in the Halloween Town!

 **TO BE CONTINUE...**


	6. Chapter 6

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 6**

HALLOWEEN TOWN

Later...

...Nick and Skippy arrived to the Halloween town whuch, as Madge had said back in the hospital, was in the Twon Square of Zootopia, right in the very same place where Gazelle had kept her concert with her the famous song "Try Everything" after the events of the Night Howler Incident and Nick's first day as a police officer.

But right now, the whole area had turned into the small Halloween-styled town.

It was with the cemetery fence or with a dilapidated wooden fence restricted large area, that took most of the town squar. Respectively, it was the good job for the several mammals in Zootopia, for example the wolves and the bats, and yet the air space of the forest was filled with the fake smoke to make the tone of the place more Halloween-like.

And, just like with City of Zootopia, the Halloween Town had the several of its own districts, which were...

 **The Gloomy Graveyard** , with the cemetery fence fenced area filled with the face overgrown dead grass and with the jungle of dozens fake grave stones and crosses, stony grave-coffins the grave chambers and the horned and winged demon-like stone statues. There was also some fake dead and hollow thick wood trunks, in the brances of which was the dalls hanging in the ends of the nooses and from inside of the hollow trees was pouring out the fake skeletons. And there was also the animatronic dolls that were dressed as a skull-faced grim reapers with the black hoodies and scythes stalking behind of the trees and the whole area was filled with the holographic walking, floating or headless ghosts.

There was also the wooden podium, on where was standing as an executioner dressed grizzly bear with the huge fake execution axe, and in the next of him was the line of ten guillotine (execution vehicles), in each of which was lying only with the red candies filled piñata dolls to be executed in front of the crowd and reveal to the kids the pleasant surprise from within the dolls.

 **The Witch's Candy Shop** , was into dilapidated wooden cottage shaped candy shop - where was in the baskets and glass jars various kinds of Halloween-styled candies - in middle of the wide pumpkin area, where to the each large and small jack-o'-lantern pumpkin had carved to resemble various kinds of boogeyman-like faces with the wide and sometimes creepy grins, and there was also some scarecrows with the creepy-faced pumpkin heads in the end of the long straight sticks and either blood-red or purple tattered capes around of their body forming wooden crosses.

Sometimes the cottage was surrounded by the dark and foggy autumn landscape-like witch forest with the fake large and hollow dead trees and some into the large shadowy monsters shaped trees with in the fake wind floating branshes like grappling hands and the greepily grinning faces and the eyes glowing the faked "blood-red hell lights."

And, either in the witch forest or pumpkin area, there was also the faked witch circle surrounded by four fake dead trees, where was into old - and ugly - witch dressed horse in the next of the huge witch's cauldron

 **Wolfcula's Castle** , with the stone wall fenced area with the lowering grid gate, and in the middle of with the dozens and dozens of wooden grave-coffins filled hilly area was standing the small version of Transylvanian-styled stone castle Wolfcula's castle with the ominously moving lights in the window called, along with the fake fog and into the vampires dressed bats in the airspace of this district. In the gates of this district, the gate guard moose - who had the necklace made out of the garlics and the cross hanging on his neck and in his belt was hanging the wooden hammer and wooden sticks, and yet he had faked vampire bites in his neck - was distributing the similiar necklances made out of garlics for the guest an an humorous protection against in the are stalking vampires.

And as a mentioned before, the yard around of the castle was filled with the dozens of wooden grave-coffins, in the next of the several of them was the sign with the writings " _Open and take, if you dare_ " with the fake-blood. And the coffins were filled with the candies but among of which, for the another surprise of the children, was set to lie into the vampires dressed white-furred wolves surprise the children with the Halloween-gifts.

 **The Mummy's Tomb** , The district, which bears the resemble of the Sahara Square's sandy deserts, only with the small pyramide in middle of the district, in next of the entrance was standing the several sign with the writings...

 _"Welcome to the adventure in the Pharaoh's resting place!"_

 _"Are you brave enough to step into the tomb, which will be your last?"_

 _"Find the treasure of Pharaoh, but beware the mummy's curse!"_

 _"Will you get out in time, before you'll be burried alive in here in the company of disturbed mummy?"_

This district was designed to be the survival-adventure for the visitors who enters into the pyramide, along with the map given by them by into the explorer (with Indiana Jones-style) dressed lion, who gave to the visiting families the maps to get through of the labyrinthine egypt-styled corridors and beware the false death traps - such like the fake trap doors in the floor that leads to the chambers full of animatronic cobras or to the close sealing tunnels with the sand traps or the fake-arrows firing cobra-statues. And in the end of the corridors was the pharaoh's tomb with the candy-prize for the children visitors. And after having their candy prize, they have to find the way out during of the district's design's final challenge... the mummy's curse in the form of the zombie-like mummies awakening, meaning that into the mummies dressed assistants starts to fill the labyrinth's chambers and corridors while chasing the visitors until they reach out of the pyramide.

And in the middle of the whole Halloween Town was the building of four buildings linked together, such of...

 **Haunted Ride in the Hounted Hotel** , like in the theme parks, the large building shaped into the highly dilapidated wooden hotel in middle of the fenced yard full of the fake grave stones, thick hollow dead trees with the dolls hanging in the ends of the nooses, and in the wooden crossed dressed into the punpkin-headed ghosts. And in the air in front of the Hotel was hanging in the ends of the nearly invisible ropes the white into the ghosts shaped sheets, which skirts were floating in the light night wind as they floated in the from the side to another and some of them even close of the ground. And not to mention about the boogeymen, grim reapers and the witches peeking from the Hotel's windows. And to make the atmosphere even more real and more spooky, there has been added the ghostly, witch-like and a mad Scientist-like laughing and giggling, the wolf's howling, women's screaming out of horror and the deep and gloomy music.

And inside of the Hotel was the ride to through of the entire Hotel through of the Hotel corridors, rooms and big halls. And along with them was rooms like the torture chambers with the dolls in the torture racks, a mad scientist laboratories with the preserved body parts, mad scientist laboratory supplies, fake electrict machines and the table, on which was standing into a mad scientist creating his fake abomination, the gloomy dungeons with into the jails locked, in the bars of the jail doors hanging, into the execute coffins sealed the to the chains chained fake skeletons, the rooms filled with the spider webs and resitented by the giant animatronic spiders, the bedrooms with the boogeymen hiding beneath of the beds or coming out of the rooms wardrobes, the blood-covered kitchens with the zombified predator chefs chopping off the limbs from the prey-animals playing dolls with the cleavers, having even the bathtub in the kitchen, around of which had been gathered the prey-animal dolls from which had been the throats slit open to dry the blood out of them and yet they had in the kitchen hanging the faked bloody and chopped body parts of the prey-animals from the chains in the air and the dinning room with more holographic dancing ghosts. And with the dark gloomy corridors and libraries with the atmosphere of the violent thunderstorm in the rooms fake windows, the fake living paintings and moving walls, revealing their surprises behind of them and so on.

 **Treehouse of Horror Theater** , was the gigantic wooden treehouse hanging in middle of the gigantic tree top's brances, to which had been placed the spider webs and the giant spiders, pumpkins with the spooky grins, giant animatronic manbats, giant animatronic vultures, owls and crows, in the end of the nooses hanging skeletons and so on. From inside, the Treehouse was actually the film theater, where was about to perform the different old and new horror films and other films in the day of Halloween.

 **Halloween Circus** , A great stone altar next to the Haunted Hotel, where the magican - dressed either into the vampire or the wizard - does the Halloween-styled tricks to amuse the children, such like conjuring the ghosts emerge from the stone grave box behind of him, to wake the ancient mummy and make it walk out from its sarcophagi, making the animals in the paintings in the wall to come to life and walk out of the paintings, as well as the hypnosis stuff, metamorphosis tricks and even to make some magic... even though everything of that is created with the hologram-program, with into the costumes dressed assisstant and with to the children harmeless smoke bombs and so on.

 **Savage Wolf's Full Moon Rock** , was the altar that was shaped to look like the top of the rock against the full moon. And in there, judging from the posters in which the very familiar gaselle herself appeared dressed into the wolf costume, Gaselle was about to perform her new song for the visitors in the honor of Halloween eve.

And there was also various kind of stuff, such like with the hologram-program made ghost wagons, ghost trains, Flying Dutchman and in the air floating ghosts, into the ghost wagons dressed candy kiosks, fake-trees behind of which into the movie monsters - usually savage wolves, zombies, ghosts, vampires, the masked murderers with the chainsaws and axes and boogeymen - dressed assisstants used as a hiding spot before suddenly jumping out in front of the visitors, candy machines, forecasters tents, Halloween costume- and horror film shops, the maniac laughing, screaming in horror and the gloomy music in the air and so on.

"Woah." Skippy said as he wathced all of this stuff. All of these grave stones, wooden coffins with the vampires inside, the fake bats and skeletons, hanged dolls, the cauldrons, pumpkins with the spooky faces and the staff of this place dressed into the various kind of movie monsters.

And as Nick and Skippy were about to pass the Treehouse of Horror Theater, Skippy paid the eager attention at the posters

"Wow! I can't believe that they are going to present all these movies in one night. Look at this list!"

The Treehouse of Horror crew were at the very moment erecting everywhere some posters of the Halloween Eve's evening's shows of the some old horror movies and some other movies, such as...

1970's film, Count Wolfcula!

1933's film, King Konkey!

1998's film, Crocodzilla!

1975's film, The Great Pike!

2008's film, Night of Pikes

1999's film, Headless Horse!

1984's film, Nightmares of Elk Street!

1994's film, The Predator Cafeteria!

1997's film, Savage Wolf in Zooris!

Another 1999's film, The Curse of the Lion Mummy!

2002's film, 48 Days, 48 hours, 48 minutes and 48 seconds!

1932's film, The Survival Game!

Another 1932's film, the Night of the Living Costumes!

2002's film. The Island of Mr. Biology

1993's film, Jurassic Tropolis!

1983's film, Mammaliens!

Another 1997's film, The HΩmega Mammal!

2008's film, Dark Apartments!

2004's film, Fixen's Grudge!

1968's film, Night of the Savage Bunnies!

2004's film, Dawn of the Savages!

2003's film, Heir of the Grim Wolf!

2004's film, In the Belly of the Mayor!

Another 2003's science fiction horror film, Some things mammal was never meant to tamper with.

And newly arrived 2017's horror film, The Clown and I!

"This is so awesome…" Skippy said as he watched the signs. He really wanted to go to Halloween circus because there was some of his favorite movies.

The rest of the crew of the Halloween Town, who were about to perform in the shows tomorrow night, were preparing for the Halloween Eve tommorrow night.

And, it was then, when Nick and Skippy arrived to the Hallowene Town's crew's trailers.

And there, Nick halted the first rhinoceros guards in sight to ask from him some advices.

"Excuse me? Officer Nicholas Wilde. ZPD. I would like to have a word with the Halloween Circus ringmaster for a moment, if you please." Nick said to the larger rhino guard, showing him his officer badge.

After seeing the badge, the guard nodded, until he turned his eyes at the bunny with Nick.

"And what about this little guy?" Rhino guard asked sternly.

And after the rhino's question, Nick realized that he had once again found himself in a tough situation when being asked about the companion animal with him.

Normally getting through of such of situations like this were much easier when Judy was around to make some excuse to get through ot the tough situations with the guards permission - something what Judy had learned from Nick. But right now, Nick knew that the guard will never let the civilian child inside the behind the scenes.

"Well?" The guard, sounding a bit impatient, asked again.

After thinking quickly, Nick was finally about to say something, until he was interrupted by Skippy, who said something for him.

"Assistant officer Skippy Speedleg, ZPD." Skippy suddenly said, much to Nick's and the guard's surprise.

Skippy even showed the fake badge to the rhino, which was the very similiar to the one which Judy had given to Finnick on their first met and which Finnick then had gave to Nick when Judy hustled him to confess his own crime in fellony tax evasion during the Night Howlers incident.

"I assist officer Nick Wilde with his case. Sorry my appearance, but this white-furred bunny costume is in order to make me look like the bunny rather than detective." Skippy added.

The guard snorted a little of this, but turned around to allow the free pass for Nick and Skippy to inside of the behind the scenes of the Halloween Town.

"The ringmaster's trailer is in the middle of the others out there. You'll recognize it when you see it." The guard adviced, pointing with his finger at the direction to where they should to go, before he departed to continue his guarding duty.

Nick was briefly totally speechless. He could not believe that Skippy had fooled the rhino guard just like that...

...and for that, Nick gave a sly grin at Skippy.

"Sly bunny." Nick said with the grin.

"Spend some time with the fox, you pick up a thing or two." Skippy said, which made Nick smile even more.

And then, after going to the direction the Rhino Guard adviced them to go, it did not took long from them to find a right trailer, much more colorful and sleeker than the others. In the Halloween or any day, everyday and holiday. There was even a profile picture described in the side of the trailer.

And what attracted Nick's suspects greatly, was the ringmaster's profile picture in the side of the trailer, because the pic presented the wolf's head with the black vampire cape, fake bat on his shoulder, pale face paint and artificial vampire teeth.

"Do you think he is the wolf we're seeking?" Skippy asked, as he watched the wolf's picture in the wall of the trailer.

"I don't know. Let's find out." Nick said, half sure and half unsure, because in the Halloween Town was working many wolves... and not to mention about the fact that there was also plenty of wolves all around in Zootopia and there was one black sheep among them to be find.

The task is as easy as trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Nick climbed the front of the trailer's door and knocked couple times in it.

"Haloo? Anyone home? Officer Nick Wilde, ZPD. I would like to have a word with you, Mr. Ringmaster." Nick shouted, hoping that somebody would hear him.

"Yeah, it's the Big Bad Fox out here. And if you don't open the door to him right now and let him in, he'll huff, and he'll puff, and he'll blow your trailer's door down like the wind of storm if he have to!" Skippy shouted humorously.

Nick felt himself a bit embarrassed for what Skippy had just said about him.

"The wolves may do that "huff and puff" stuff, but not foxes, Skippy." Nick said to him over his left shoulder, before turning back to the trailer's door.

Suddenly, the hatch in the door opened and the male grey timber wolf's muzzle and then head appeared out from the hatch and the wolf's eyes the guests.

"He's right bunny. He's the fox, not Big Bad Wolf. Which means that he does not huff, puff, nor blow no one's doors down like the wind of storm" The ringmaster scolded through of the hatch, which made Skippy a bit chuckle to this.

The ringmaster then turned his attention to Nick.

"And what do you want, fox? I was right now finishing my face paint." the ringmaster said with the rude voice.

Nick cleared him throat and repeated himself again.

"Officer Nick Wilde, ZPD. I would like to have a word with you, Mr. Ringmaster. This does not take long, with the fox officer's word of honor." Nick said, shoving his badge at the ringmaster.

The ringmaster groaned in annoyance, he totally did not want to get himself in the trouble with the police officer when he was preparing himself for dress rehearsals for the tomorrow's Halloween Night's Eve show.

But, with the deep willing to get rid of the police officer, who happened to be the fox, as soon as possible so that he would be able to continue her preparations, he disappeared inside of his trailer and opened the door to Nick and Skippy.

"Make your business quickly, I'm right now a quite bussy. And call me with the name Zeke Midas Wolf, if you please." The ringmaster, who's name was Zeke, said as he let Nick and Skippy in, before he closed the door, walked to the armchair of his trailer he sat down on it, and gestured Nick and Skippy to do the same.

"Let's get started." Nick said as he sat down to the another armchair with Skippy.

Zeke leaned towards them from his chair.

"Now, officer Wilde. If may I ask at first before the questions from you, what are the charges against me?"

Nick immediately took the appropriate as a topic of discussion.

"That's the thing what I have come to talk about with you, with my little buddy partner." Nick said referring Skippy, who waved his paw at Zeke as an "hello".

"First and foremost, are you aware about the robbery, which happened the last night in the Shopping Paradise and that the prime charges from the crime are targeted to my soon-to-be ex-partner and first bunny officer of Zootopia, officer Judy Hopps?" Nick started.

Zeke mused for a moment the answer to the question, until he pointed with his finger at the wall, where he was attached the page from the newspapers. It was that one page where the crime in the Shopping Paradise was published.

"I heard about it this morning. Pity for the little rabbit cop. What about it?"

"Well, I suspect that this is all about of framing." Nick answered.

Zeke's eyes widened. He probably believed that this fox officer in front of his faces was about to accuse him for the crime what he didn't commit nor wasn't in any way involved of it.

"If you're came here to accuse me for the crime, after I already did tell you that I have nothing to do with it, you have come in the wrong place." Zeke said in the anger and with the frustrated and angered expression on his face, Zeke crossed his arms and stared at the duo angrily.

"Actually not, Mr. Midas Wolf. We have come to the right place and we have the evidence which led us here." Nick said with the sly fox grin.

Zeke's eyes widened in shock and his arms slowly dropped. Then his expression turned back to frustrated expression.

"Well, what are you then waiting for, officer Wilde. Tell me what the heck is going on here and how this crime all related to my Halloween circus which even happens to be legal circus." Zeke said, demanding to know.

For the following hour, Nick explained to Zeke what happened the yesterday night, when he had found his partner, officer Judy Hopps, from lying on the street near the Shopping Paradise two hours after when she had originally exited from there and over hour after when the crime happened. Nick explained that he had found her in the belief that she was under attack from behind (Nick intentionally left that C-Word part from mention) and was probably knocked out after exiting from the Shopping Paradise and was lying on the street unconsciously for two hours, but nothing had been stolen from her during of that time, nor anybody had came to her aid. And after hearing the morning's news from TV about the robbery, she had strongly, but honestly denied herself being in any way involved to the crime... the crime of what she oddly does not even remember to commit. Which is why she's now the prime suspect, the victim of possible frame-up and in danger of being thrown into the jail like the dangerous criminal who is convicted of a serious offense to the jail, and the Detective Oates has her footprints and out of nowhere appeared hacker device with her fingerprints as evidence against her. And after that, later on the same day, she had been found from the guest room acting strangely with the lifelessly grayed eyes and moaning like the empty shell of zombie. Nick also told Zeke what Dr. Madge had told him in the doctor's office about the hypnosis, which was not new to her on the same day because there was the very same incident with the young elephant skater, who was as well found in the same state just like Judy.

"And that's not all about my case… there's been various warrants about the mammal children, bith prey and predator alike, who're all gone missing on the same night without trace… with the exception of Judy Hopps and that elephant skater." Nick said, ending the listing all details of this whole case.

Skippy sat on his chair quietly, without letting out any interrupting sound of voice nor question but instead listebed everything of this intently and carefully.

Zeke had also himself listened Nick's story intently and carefully, but it had drove him into the confusion.

"But how does all of this relates to me and my Halloween Circus?"

Nick took out the carrot pen he had in his pocket, unauthorized, borrowed from Judy when she fell on her current state and pressed the button.

Luckily, Nick had secretly recorded with Judy's carrot pen the whole conversation between of him and Dr. Madge, just in case.

And after Nick had recorded the recorde one time, he repeated the recording one more time.

" _...I'll say that this is about a some kind of hypnosis... hypnosis... hypnosis... hypnosis._ " Madge's voice repeated her lines through the carrot pen, as Nick pressed the button to repeat one single word for several times, before he allowed the record to continue.

" _Hypnosis is only a circus stuff what the animals working in the circus use to amuse and make the mammals to laugh in circus. Luckily to you, there's a Halloween event, with Halloween circus, that just arrived to the city the last night._ " Madge's voice said in the record.

And then, Nick pressed the button again.

"See... even though I don't know how, it's gotta be all about the hypnosis." Nick said.

And then, Skippy joined to the conversation.

"That's the evidence one which led us to here. And here's the second." Nick said as he pulled out the paper, to which he had taken the copies of footprints Skippy found recovered.

"We found… or, more likely, my little buddy partner found a few of footprints from the crime scene, or at least near of it. They're not bunnies footprints, they're the footprints of the timber wolves so the real bad guy is wolf by his species like you too."

"Plus…" Nick said as he took out the torn piece of cloth in a plastic bag and showed it to Zeke. "This piece of cloth, which is made from the silk, which quality is quite good one. If I remember, the silk from what this cloth is made of, belongs to the people of the circus… AND… this torn cloth doesn't smell only by the timber wolf but also the scent of the cuddly fur, which is usually in the children's fur - except with those mammals who do not apparently have a fur at all - and there's third scene yet, which smells like… chocolate… cotton candy… and sugar."

Nick saw clearly that these evidences really got Zeke's already confused expression on his face slowly turn into the state of shock.

He had got him. Nick had got to the wolf.

"No… no… it, it just… it can't be." Zeke started to whimper, in the pure shock and almost panic, which was on seen from his expression and shaking paws.

Nick victorious and sly grin turned suddenly into the concern for the wolf.

Of course Nick's intention was to break apparently stubborn wolf to get him to share some of his information about the true baddie, but he did not mean to cause this wolf the ultimate and suddenly appeared breakdown!

"Hey, buddy, is everything okay?"

Zeke, however, did not paid any attention at him again nor bothered to answer to his question.

He only turned around and acted like he was about to stood up on his feet.

"He said he only… it-it can't be… he… he. It can't be his actions. It can't, it can't!" Zeke whimpered.

Suddenly, when he was about to stood up, his legs suddenly failed beneath of him and he nearly fell over to the trailer's floor if Nick hadn't react to this by quickly bouncing off the armchair to his aid before he could hurt himself.

"He… he… it… it can't be… can't be him. Can't be… him."

Suddenly and unepextedly to Nick, Zeke bounced back on his feet, knocking Nick over on his back to the floor, and started to rampage all around of his own trailer, starting to from whacking with his fists and claw with his claws the walls of his trail, he turned the table violently over that everything what was standing on his table, fell over to the floor and went broken. He stuck with several times to his own round mirror, breaking it, he nearly tore the doors off from his cabinets and throw out his deputy clothing and some of his wine bottles... including crabbing from the necks of some of them and threw them against the walls and the windows of his trailer, breaking them into the shatters and one of the window's glass in the process.

Zeke's still shocked expression, his costume's vampire cape, his vampire's face-paint, the fangs and the candlelight all together created almost the threatening shadow over them, which a bit started to freak Skippy out. Nick saw this very well.

"Hey, buddy. Easy, easy. Calm down." Nick said, trying to get panicking Zeke to calm down.

However...

"IT CAN'T BE HIM! IT CAN'T BE HIM!" He cried as he kept his rampaging, even throing his own portable TV next to the armchair on which freaked Skippy was sitting, and the impact from the smashed TV against the chair was enough to knock him out from his chair... as well as turn the while chair over to the ground.

Nick had to do something before someone of them hurts themselves.

"I SAID, CALM DOWN!" Nick shouted.

"CAN'T BE HIM! CAN'T BE HIM!" Zeke continued crying-

"UNCLE NICK! DO SOMETHING! HE'S FREAKING ME OUT!" Skippy yelled from the corner, to where he had crawled after being knocked off from the chair.

With no another choice, Nick decided to use hard extracts to calm the wolf down.

And so, Nick jumped on the wolf with his full force, that it caused the wolf to lose his balance and fall backwards, landing on his back to the floor.

And after landing, Nick started to swung his right arm from side to another, aiming his paw to Zeke's faces, slapping his to the face to snap him out of his shocked and rampaging state and get him to calm down. And when the first time didn't work, Nick had to slap him even harder and over again and over, over, over, over, over, over, over, over, over again until he finally calmed down...

...and fell limb to his armchair.

However, after the situation finally calmed down, suddenly, two rhino officers from ZPD, the new ones as from their sudden arrival surprised Nick did not recognize them in the first sight - probably because Chief Bogo rarely introduces newcomers to the experienced ones officers - appeared to the door of the trailer...

...and after seeing the messy sight in inside and fox on the wolf magician, the rhinos immediately rushed inside to the trailer and pointed their taser guns at Nick.

"Freeze! Get away from him, fox, Now!" One of the officers harshly shouted with the hard tone.

"Keep you paws up! Get over here nice and easily, and do not try anything stupid or we'll shoot!" Another guard shouted.

Nick did as he was told to, but he had to explain to the rhinos, who misunderstood the situation, that what they saw was not what it looked like in their eyes.

"Woah! Wowowowowowowowohohohohoo! Wait, my fellow comrades! This isn't what it looks like! I can explain!" Nick said and was about to explain but he was interrupted by the rhino officers, wwho ignored him.

"You have right to remain silent, fox! Now, get over here nice and easily and keep your paws up!" The rhino officers shouted.

Annoyed of how the fellow officers reacted to his attempts to explain himself, and to from aside the situation witnessing Skippy's horror, one of the rhino officers remained still, holding Nick at gunpoint with his taser while the another one placed his own taser to the holster in his belt and started to walk towards Nick with the handcuffs… fortunately and in the big relief to Nick, that not with the muzzle.

Suddenly…

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! It's alright, officers. He's a cop just like two of you." Zeke suddenly said, as he quickly rushed between of Nick and the rhino officers to Nick's defence.

The rhino officers were quite confused and yet suspicious after hearing what the little white-furred rabbit standing in between of them and the fox they were about to arrest, firmly said, more likely claimed, about the fox in front of their eyes.

"This fox... as... as a cop?!" Both rhinos whispered in disbelief.

"Long story fellow officers." Nick said, clearly sensing their disbelief of him being part of ZPD forces, despite being the fox, which species is in the most lower level in the social system in Zootopia.

"Then why was all of that shouting in panic over here? And what about the sounds as if there was a fingting going on?" One of the cops asked, after he had recovered from the confusion.

"It was me all alone." Zeke suddenly said, earning everybody's attentions.

"I went into the panic and started the rampage, but not because of the fox officer. He only tried to snap me out from the shock and panic and was forced to use hard extracts, that's all. In fact, I deserved it." Zeke said simply.

After hearing that, both rhinos slowly placed their taser guns back to their holsters.

But, however, they remained still quite suspicious in the presence of Nick.

They had of course heard about the first rabbit officer Judy Hopps, who solved the Missing Mammals case and the Night Howler incident with the help of the ex-con artist tah became eventually Zootopia's first fox officer...

...but because there was a plenty of foxes in Zootopia, both Rhinos highly doubted that was Nick exactly that what he, his rabbit companion and the wolf magician claimed him to be.

And, to make sure that the allegations about Nick's identity are correct, they demanded Nick to identify himself as an officer by showing them his office badge as an proof that he indeed was a cop and part of ZPD.

And Nick, even though the frowing fox let out the deep sigh out of annoyance to the rhinos stubbornness, took out his officer badge and showed it to the officers.

"Let the badge to talk for me if you don't believe the word of the fox that is an officer and part of the ZPD." Nick said.

The rhinos took the look at Nick's badge and eyed it for a while...

...and after seeing a star symbol in the center with the words "Trust, Integrity, Bravery" around it in a circle and yet the words "Officer" on the top arch and "Police" on the bottom arch., they both nodded satisfied.

"Alright then. Everything is fine. Our apologies, Mr. Wilde, for our interruption and unnecessary haste in the wrong alarm." One of the officers said as the rhino officer departed with his partner from the trailer and closed the door behind of them.

Nick let out the another deep sigh out of his mouth.

"Newcomers. Now I know that hoe exactly chief Bogo thinks about the newcomers... except that he happens to be buffalo and not the fox." Nick said after the rhinos were gone.

And then, Nick and recovered Skippy then helped Zeke up from the floor back on his feet and put him to sit down to his armchair. And, by Zeke's request, Skippy offered to go to bring some hot tea for him to relax and fully recover from the shock.

After Skippy returned with the hot tea and the cup of sugar Zeke slowly sip his tea cup empty in all peace, until he turned back to Nick.

"My apologize for my quite childish behavior, officer Wilde. I may have an idea from whom this is all about… But… I just can't believe that. I had no any idea for what purpose he even took it. He only said he took it for the street magic tricks." Zeke said, stroking a bit embarrassed - or maybe even ashamed - his forehead with his paw.

"So you know exactly who's the bad guy behind of this mess?" Skippy asked excited.

Zeke, wit hthe sad and disappointed expression on his face, nodded positively at the quest.

"But what do you meant about, "it?" What this bad guy took from you and why? What are you even talking about?" Skippy said impatiently.

Zeke, however, did not answer. He only laid his arms to rest over his knees and lowered his head down.

The silence fell upon the trailer.

Then Nick stepped next to him.

"Mr. Midas Wolf, I can sense that this is probably personal and hard to you but we're just trying to help you. This whole case relates to you and your precious circus really much, but if you help us to proceed in our case, we'll not press charges against you nor your circus, unless it turns out that you were involved in this in any way. All what we want to know is this moment ago mentioned person's personal identity, his name, his past, his motives to do this, his current home number and maybe even his profile pic. Tell us who is he, what he had done before this and what he has took from you. Please, just tell us. Tell us what we want to know and then we'll leave you to recover and we get back to continue our investigation from disturbing you anymore. Okay?" Nick said.

"With the fox officer's word of honor." The fox officer added.

"And with the rabbit Junior-Detective's word of honor." Skippy added.

Zeke slowly lifted his head up to look at Nick's eyes.

Zeke may be one of the many mammals in Zootopia, who do not trust to the word that comes from the fox… but when it was about the honest police officer, even though the one happened to be the fox, but at least such of fox who had the extracts of the police officer like him...

"Fine." Zeke finally said.

* * *

 **Trivia**  
 **My own Zootopian parodies of the films, the Simpsons. Treehouse of Horror-episodes and books names.**

 **Count Wolfcula - (Dracula,** **film from 1970** **)**

 **King Konkey - (King Kong, film from 1933)**

 **Crocodzilla - (Godzilla, film from 1998)**

 **The Great Pike - (Jaws, film from 1975)**

 **Night of Pikes** **\- (Shark Night, film from 2008)**

 **Headless Horse** **(Headless Horseman, film from 1999)**

 **Nightmares of Elk Street** **\- (A Nightmare on Elm Street, film from 1984)**

 **The Predator Cafeteria -** **(Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror V. Nightmare Cafeteria)**

 **Savage Wolf in Zooris - (Werewolf in Paris, film from 1997)**

 **The Curse of the Lion Mummy - (** **Goosebumps The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb book + Mummy, film from 1999** **)**

 **48 Days, 48 hours, 48 minutes and 48 seconds - (28 Days Later, film from 2008)**

 **The Survival Game -** **(The Most Dangerous Game, film from 1932 +** **The Simpsons. Treehouse of Horror XVI: Survival of the Fattest** **)  
**

 **The Night of the Living Costumes - (Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge, film from 2001 + The Simpsons. Treehouse of Horror XVI: I've Grown a Costume on Your Face)**

 **The Island of Mr. Biology - (The Simpsons. Treehouse of Horror XIII: The Island of Dr. Hibbert)**

 **Jurassic Tropolis - (Jurassic Park, film from 1993)**

 **Mammaliens - (Aliens, film from 1983)**

 **The HΩmega Mammal - (** **The Simpsons. Treehouse of Horror VIII: The HΩmega Man** **)**

 **Dark Apartments - (Dark Floors, film from 2008)**

 **Fixen's Grudge - (Grudge, film from 2004)**

 **Night of the Savage Bunnies - (Night of the Living Dead, film from 1968)**

 **Dawn of the Savages - (Dawn of the Dead, film from 2004)**

 **Heir of the Grim Wolf - (** **The Simpsons. Treehouse of Horror XIV: Reaper Madness.** **)**

 **In the Belly of the Mayor - (** **The Simpsons. Treehouse of Horror XV: In the Belly of the Boss** **)**

 **Some things mammal was never meant to tamper with - (This is actually quote from TMNT 2003 TV-series episodes; Notes from the Underground)**

 **And newly arrived 2017's horror film The Clown and I - (IT, film from 2017 +** **The Simpsons. Treehouse of Horror VII: The Thing and I.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 7**

SO CLOSE. PART 1.

Soon, after leaving from the Halloween Town, Nick and Skippy were heading towards the downtown of Savanna Central, during of which Nick told to Skippy everything that Zeke had told him.

"So, the bad guy's name is Nermal Midas Wolf… Zeke Midas Wolf's twenty-two years old and only son. He was the five years old when his mother died in the robbery, after which Zeke raised him along with the entire circus group, who acted to him like the big happy family during his childhood. And as Zeke told us, his son had during of his younger age the great interest, which eventually turned into a blind and obsessive love, to the candies."

"And he ate and ate, ate and ate the candies so much and so long until he became really fat when he was five years old little wolf. He had also a bit troubles with the officers because he was always caught by eating the candies in the shops. This led Nermal to be cowardly bullied by the other animals. Both prey and predator alike, who were either in same age and same sized with him and slightly bigger and older teenagers, who, as a slim animals, labelled him as the "walking meatball." which began to haunt him for the rest of his life." Nick explained.

"Just like the muzzles still haunts you for the rest of your lives, right?" Skippy asked.

Nick's furred skin got goose pimples when he remembered the pain on his muzzle when those prejudiced mammals in the Junior Scouts were mercilessly and for their own amusement pinned him down and placed the muzzle on him without the any reason… except the fact he was the fox and the another fact that the foxes were labelled as the most shifty and untrustworthy mammals on Zootopia.

Skippy saw the expression on Nick's face and his ears dropped down out of guilty, knowing it very well what Nick was thinking about the muzzles.

"Sorry, Uncle Nick. I should not have said that." Skippy said with the apologizing tone.

However, Nick landed his paw over Skippy's shoulder.

"It's okay, little pal. It's only the past now." Nick said, while still hopping in his mind that the whole muzzle incident was just a bad nightmare.

"Well, where were we again?" Skippy said, reminding him to continue to explain him all what they got from Mr. Zeke during of his interrogation.

"Oh yeah! ahem… Well, worried about Nermal's future and health, his father was then ordered by the doctor to put him to the ruducing diet. Zeke even had to force his son to eat his diet food and exercise until he was again slim teen wolf, denying the candies from him for a several following years. This, however, caused his deep and secret desire to candies to grown up within him.

And, after he became the slender wolf again when he was nine-ears old , and exception of teenager mammal children, Nermal continued working with his father in the circus for eleven following years, during of which he grown to like the five-, six-, seven-, eight-, nine- and ten-years-old mammal children and more younger ones as he appeared in a circus as a clown magician, distributing at the Halloween Eve's show the sweets to children during the magic show, secretly his own shock and sorrow, because his father had allowed him only a limited amount of candy... and seeing how much the other children at the candies right before him, made him secretly unhappy.

"This kept until he was twenty years old and still working in the circus, when the one eight- or nine-years old female pig named Mertle, who was the worse boaster and even the big spoiled brat on her class, made to him a cuel trick at one Halloween night show, which changed his whole life permanently. She tied his clown outfit's sleeves and hacked the small fan device attached under of his clothes before the show, and when the show began, the trick was activated and soon he looked like the big ball because all the air gathered on the inside of his clown clothes as the balloon. And it was then when Mertle called him as "walking meatball" which had left the traumas to poor Nermal from the time of his childhood when he was bullied for the same reason… and you really don't want to know what happened next when his air balloon like clothes just in the front of the crowd… well you know." Nick explained to Skippy the everything Zeke had told them.

"He got terribly humiliated in the front of the entire crowd in middle of the show, didn't he?" Skippy asking, guessing in his mind that Nermal's clothes exploded in front of the crowd after the pression under of his clothes got too high...

...to which Nick answered with the sad nod.

"Oh man. I'm getting to feel a pity for that guy." Skippy said with the expression, which told Nick that he felt sad for Nermal.

"Yes… poor guy indeed, but remember that he's still the bad guy by breaking the law with the commit theft and the frame-up, and we need to catch him before he makes the things go worst." Nick reminded him.

"Yeah." Skippy nodded. "What happened to Nermal afterwards?"

"Well, Zeke told me that his son never fully recovered from the humiliation he experienced and which even broke his preference for the little children. Afterwards of the experience, he never again appeared in any show. He quit but decided to continue his career on the streets as street magician... but far away from where his humiliation took the place." Nick explained.

"And what was then the thing Zeke said of Nermal taking from him before he left?" Skippy asked.

"His watch." Nick answered.

Skippy was immediately confused about Nick's answer.

"His watch? Only a ancient watch clock?"

Nick nodded.

"But not a ordinary watch. it was his hypnotism watch from his old times as the clown. Maybe that explains Judy's and that elephant skater's current state and their behavior like the brainless zombies, plus all those children gone missing."

"But aunt Judy isn't a child anymore. Why did Nermal then target aunt Judy to do his dirty works for him?" Skippy asked.

"Maybe he mistook her from the child... by the same way as Judy once mistook my con-partner Finnick as child in the elephant costume when we first met." Nick said and let out a small laugh at that memory.

"Well, did Mr. Zeke give us his home number or something?" Skippy asked.

"No, he didn't. He does not even know where Nermal is right now." Nick answered.

"How so?"

"As Zeke told me, year after Nermal left from circus, he just disappeared for the next two years… without the trace. For two years, he has not answered to his father's phone calls neither to his text messages. Maybe he has either lost his phone or threw it away a long time ago."

Now Skippy get more annoyed.

"That means that we'll never find him! And I guess that you're gonna say again that everything we've already found out from this case isn't still enough to proof aunt Judy's innocence to that Detective-Horse-Butt. Now I'm starting to believe that our attempts for it are already in vain and this is all hopeless!" Skippy yelled out of frustration and walked ahead of Nick. Nick suddenly stopped as his eyes caught something nearby in the the area where they were.

"Wait for minute, Skippy. Do not yet throw the ax into the pit. Maybe we don't even need to find him. We're gonna let him to find us first." Nick said with the smile on his lips.

Skippy then turned around to watch Nick in frustration.

"And how we're gonna do that, Uncle Nick. You know that he'll immediately run away to hide after he finds out that you're cop and that we're looking for him in order to arrest him for his crimes." Skippy said loudly out of frustration.

Skippy's loud shouting got Nick quickly to raise his finger in front of his mouth.

"Shhh! The less you yell, the less he even suspects it." Nick whispered.

"Well, if you have as a sly fox officer some plan to lure him out, tell me what it is, Uncle Nick." Skippy demanted to know, in a low voice but impatiently.

"The bait." Nick answered with the sly grin.

"Wait what?" Skippy asked in double confusion.

"If Nermal loves so much candies and children… well, before he got humiliated by the less than ten years old children… maybe were able to use these weaknesses against him. Come on, I think I know where he's probably heading right now." Nick said and crabbed Skippy from the wrist.

But because Skippy was too little to run as fast as Nick, even though he immadietily denied that he "is not too little" in annoyance and much to Nick's pleasure, because it reminded him from Judy's annoyed reaction when she's called with that C-word by non-bunnies, Nick had to take him to piggyback.

"Where we are going, Uncle Nick?" Skippy asked as Nick rushed with the fox's speed through the streets.

"Salmiac the Sloth Bear's candy shop. He runs that shop and he's another the big fan of the sweets along with Nermal and who happened to be one of my few friends before I met Judy and became the police officer. Salmiac's candy shop is the largest candy shop of the city with the one hundred different types of candy." Nick said.

"That's sound sweet." Skippy said, licking his lips.

"Remember that we're now doing the detective work instead of going to buy some candies." Nick reminded as he ran on one of the parket cars...

and leaped from the car's rooftop to on the road driving cars rooftops, and proceed by jumping from the one rooftop to another rooftop, sometimes landing on the cars front plates or on the heads of the mammals in convertibles, much to the annoyance of the drivers.

* * *

Later...

Once they had arrived to Salmiac's candy shop, which was already closed for the day, Nick and Skippy went into the hide behind the nearby bushes to avoid to be seen by Hermal, if he was already around of the place.

Nick's plan was to use Skippy as the bait, albeit against his own will even though Skippy agreed to go without hesitation, for Nermal by dressing him with the worn and torn clothes to look like the homeless, poor and helpless little street rabbit who is standing in front of the candy shop and watching the candies behind of the shop's showcase in hunger until Nermal's arrival. And then, Nick would use Skippy's camera to take the video footage from his criminal activities as evidence against the charges against Judy's innocence and capture and arrest the criminal itself with the another important evidence, the watch.

And, to make sure that the bait is both credible and successful, Nick had confiscate everything unnecessary stuff from Skippy, except his wooden sword.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Skippy? You know, your mother is certainly gonna kill me and place you under house arrest for the month if even longer when she find out that what's going on in here." Nick said.

"Hey, I already agreed to do this as your partner and so I intend to." Skippy answered.

Nick smiled at Skippy's bravery, despite being still worried about Skippy's safety.

"Okay, you know the plan or should we rehearse it one more time?" Nick asked.

Skippy shook his head negatively, letting Nick to know that the answer is clear no.

"I got it, uncle Nick. I'm ready."

"All right, little detective. Let's do it." Nick said and send Skippy off...

And after Skippy was in the place, in front of the candy shop, Nick climbed with the camera to the nearby tree and settled to the brance, from where was the open sight to the candy shop and Skippy and which was out of the reach of the nearby lamppost's light so that Nermal wouldn't see him stalking him from the tree.

And then, Nick placed the camera carefully on its place with the supporting stick to ready to film the crime scene and snatch the villain in the act.

"Let the show begin." Nick said and remained in the tree while Skippy turned around to watch the candy shop, pretending to be helpless homeless little bunny with the hunger in the stomack.

One hour passed.

And yet another hour.

Third hour passed.

And yet fourth hour.

And when the fifth hour passed, nothing had happened.

And during of the five hours, Nick had to timely turn the camera off to make sure that the camera's battery does not go empty in the bad time and in the middle of everything when its needed.

Meanwhile, down in the street in the middle of the candy shop, Skippy was still playing his role but the little bunny was slowly starting to get impatiend.

Five hours had already passed an no sight of Nermal.

"How long do I have to be like this, Uncle Nick?" Skippy asked whispering, without turning his head to uncle Nick and. "I'm getting tired and cold down here. Besides watching the candy shop's candies makes me hungry for real." The white furred rabbit complained.

"Be patient, Skippy! Be patiend, or…"

Nick was suddenly interrupted after he heard the footsteps coming towards them.

Someone had spotted them and was coming right towards of them.

"Finally. The patience will be rewarded. I was starting to think he'll never came." Nick whispered.

"What? What is it?" Skippy asked, after he sensed with his sharp hearing Nick's whispers.

"Throw yourself back into your role. The bad guy's coming." Nick whispered loud enough for Skippy to hear it.

"About time!" Skippy whispered and threw himself back into his role.

And with that, Nick quickly turned the camera back on, taking the camera's video on use and started to film the situation.

There he came. Dr. Nermal approached Skippy suspecting nothing about of being secretly filmed from Nick's hiding spot in the nearby tree.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. A little homeless and helpless rabbit boy." Nermal said with the friendly tone, alerting Skippy as he turned quickly around to see the large gray timber wolf standing behind of him.

Skippy eyed the wolf standing in front of him and noticed that the wolf was wearing a long and night-black circus magician's coat, a circus clown's dark blue striped overall pants, green-orange lattice shirt under the coat and long and black clown shoes - very uncommon habit in Zootopia, where everybody walked with the bare feet. He also had a long grey chin beard, large clown classes and tall black top hat on his head and also two long canine teeth.

"Don't be afraid, little one. Dr. Nermal does not want any harm on you." Nermal said as he slowly and calmly approached Skippy, who tried to act as uncle Nick had told him.

" _Never let them see they get to you._ "

Which meant that Skippy did all his best to not show to this wolf that he was afraid, even though he did not want to be afraid.

Nermal grabbed gently from Skippy's cheek and gently shook his head.

"Has the little "cute" little bunny boy the name?" Nermal asked.

Nick's ears jumped upright as he heard the word "cute" coming from Nermal's mouth.

"Gotcha, buddy." Nick whispered as he continued the filming.

Trying his best to not look to the direction of Uncle Nick and revealing to this wolf Nick's location plus presence and ruining the entire plan…

"S-Ski-Skippy, sir." Skippy said shyly.

"Skippy. That's a good name. Dr. Nermal likes it." Nermal said.

"T-Thank you, sir."

Nermal then took off Skippy's street hat from his head and stroked Skippy's head gently.

"Uncle Nermal likes so much the helpless poor kids like you, the brisk little kids like you, Skippy. And do you know why?" Nermal asked as he gently grabbed from Skippy's head with his fingers and gently turned it from the side to another to make him to shook his head as an negative answer.

"You don't?"

Nermal's odd behavior confused, and even freaked Skippy that he slowly retreated with two steps to back off.

"Because the little children loves candies as Dr. Nermal does. They know how to sneak in the candy shop undetected and steal as much candy as you want to... FOR DR. NERMAL."

Here it was, that was what Nick wanted to hear as he filmed the stituation. They had found the bad guy and have found out his criminal activities. Their plan had worked perfectly and Nermal had fell to it, believing that as the homeless bunny, Skippy would not be in any way able to report the crime to the police even though Nermal had just revealed his true colors front of Skippy's face.

"He uses the children to do his own dirty works for him and the blame targets to the innocent and brainwashed little children. Whatta cowardly snake!" Nick murmured as he kept filming, hoping to Nermal now to reveal the bigger evidence of this whole scheme.

"And now…" Nermal started as he took out what Nick wanted to be captured on the film, Zeke's hypnotism watch!

CONTINUES…

Nick had got now everything he needed to prove Judy's innocence to Detective Oates. And now, he had to get to there and take that watch from Nermal before he could hypnotize Skippy to do his dirty works for him.

And with that, he immediately stopped filming the stituation, pressed camera's "stop" button to save the record, placed the camera into his pocket and jumped down from the branch, landing to the bush beneath of him.

Nermal was about to swung the watch from the side to another before of Skippy's eyes, until he heard someone landing onto the nearby bush in next to them and the candy shop, much to his surprise.

He turned to see that what had just fell from the tree to the bush, and was immediately surprised as he saw the red fox emerging out from the bush, holding the taser gun in his right paw, pointing with it at him, and the office badge in his left paw, emerging out from the bush.

"ZPD! Put your paws up and don't move, or I'll shoot!" Nick yelled at the wolf with the officer-like stern voice.

Nermal yelped in shock, as he realized now that the whole thing was just a fake to lure him out to reveal his criminal activity.

Suddenly, he quickly turned around and started to run to the direction of arrival.

"Stop! In the name of law!" Skippy yelled after the wolf as he rushed after him.

Nick quickly put his badge back in the pocket and rushed after Skippy and Nermal.

As the bigger and faster than Skippy, Nick catched him easily and quickly took him to piggyback again without stopping - though he lifted Skippy to sit over his shoulders - and telling to Skippy to hold on, because he needed his hands to keep his balance and pick up more pace to stay in tail of the runner.

Skippy's light weight a little bit slowed down his running, but despite that, Nick barely managed to keep up after Nermal's running speed.

Nermal, sounding like in the child in the panic, pushed the people out from his way in order to get far away from the fox officer or the game is over and done. He even threw rudely some people on Nick's way in order to slow him.

Nick, after seeing Nermal throwing the people on his way to slow him down, then turned to Skippy.

"Climb on my back, Skippy. I have to go this through on my all fours!"

And after hearing that...

"AWESOME! Such of pity that I didn't take my cowboy-hat along with me!" Skippy shouted the excited expression on his face, for the chance that he can actually ride on Nick's back, and started to slowly climb down on Nick's back,

And as Skippy climbed off from his shoulders and slipped along his back to the perfect level on his back, Nick took his animal instincts to use and jumped on his all fours, accelerating his two-foot running speed to four-foot running speed as he charged forward.

"YEE-HAA!" Skippy shouted, earning the weird and confused look from the other passing animals, as they looked down to see the white-furred rabbit riding in all fours running red fox that ran through of their feet.

And, using his instincts and natural animal speed, flexibility and agility, Nick managed to avoid the every on his way or over him collapsing bodies, and after managing to avoid the falling crowd, Nick managed to even gain the double speed by running his all fours in Nermal's tail.

"Stop in the name of law! This is my last warning!" Nick yelled after Nermal as he and Skippy were very close to catch him.

Then, to Nick's and Skippy's shock, Nermal turned around and pulled out the pistol under of his jacket.

"Take that, red runt!" Nermal shouted and pressed the trigger.

Seeing the pistol and hearing the sound of _PANG_ got everybody in the presence into panic and run for their lives away from the source of the loud gunshot.

Fleeing crowd halted Nick's proceed after Nermal, and forced to take his animals instincts into double-time to avoid the impact with the numerous for their lives running animals pairs of feets... which slowed him down greatly.

And after the shot, and after witnessing that the fox officer along with his bunny partner were left behind, Nermal threw his weapon away, turned around and continued his escape.

But Nermal didn't reach far as Nick and Skippy emerged out from the crowd...

...and seeing Nermal running in the end of the long distance, Nick kept running on his all fours.

And during of which, Skippy spotted Nermal's gun and snatched it from the ground as Nick ran pass of it.

And while Nick kept the hot pursuit, Skippy checked the gun in front of him.

Skippy noticed that, fortunately to him, Uncle Nick and other civilians around of them, the gun wasn't even real.

It was just the toy gun, and the loud _PANG_ , had came from the small pen radio (similiar to Judy's carrot pen) attached to the weapon to make the loud gunshot.

"Good news, Ungle Nick, the gun wasn't real. It was just the toy gun. And the loud gunshot sound was just the record that came out from that pen radio attached to this gun. Besides, the bullets of this toy weapons are nothing else bu only a small red plungers." Skippy informed.

"Actually, I already know that." Nick said.

At first confused of what Nick meant, Skippy lowered his head to see that what Nick actually meant...

...until, much to his amusement, he spotted that Nick had got the hit from such of red plunger that was hanging right now in middle of his forehead

And with that, there was also a small red paper attached to plunger's stick, in which was written the word…

 _SUCKER!_

"OH YEAH!" Nick shouted in annoyance as he tore the plunger off from his forehead, throwing it away.

"Let's see who's laughing when you got two electric darts on your butt!" Nick growled and boosted his four-feet running to gain even more speed to reach to Nermal.

Because Nermal got unfairly distance between of them and time to hide among the people, although it was still sure that he was somewhere running among the people, Nick turned his course and jumped onto the fire post and from it to the driving cars rooftop.

And from that now on, Nick started to jump from the rooftop to rooftop as he seek with his eyes the giraffe-sized car, on top of which he could locate with his eyes the Nermal's location among the crowd.

Nick soon spotted one coming and jumped to it as it was about to pass the car on which he was standing.

But Nick found out soon that he was unable to climb to its rooftop because of the driving speed and the distance between the cars, along with the car's smooth outer wall, on which Nick remained to hang for his dear life, which depended on the hold of his claws... and with Skippy hanging for his own dear life from Nic's shirt.

However, looking around of him to find with his eyes some useful to him, and thinking quickly after seeing the one, Nick gathered his strength and waited for the good opportunity to make his move.

And when the opportunity came to him, Nick bounced from the giraffe's car's outer wall onto the passing convertible's elephant driver's tusk, quickly moving onto his head, and then jumping from it to the rooftop of the giraffe car and looked down at the crowd in order to find certain wolf among the several people on the street.

Skippy, who had managed to keep his hold on Nick's shirt during the whole dangerous situation, placed his vision binoculars upon his head and looked through of them down at the crowd bellow... to help Nick to locate the runner among of them.

And then, through of his night vision binoculars, Skippy spotted him at first.

"He's over there. Trying to escape to Central Park!" Skippy shouted as he pointed with his finger at the entrance of the Central Park, where Nermal was trying to sneak out of the crowd and into the Central Park.

"I see him too, Skippy." Nick said as he put safety gloves on his paws.

And then, without even warning Skippy about his next move, Nick gathered all his animal strength and leaped into the air above the driving cars, until he grabbed to the lower power line, which snapped due the mixed weight of adult fox and young bunny.

"COWABUNGA! WHOO-HO-HO-HOO!" Both of them yelled in unision as they flew in the arch through the air, earning the astonished looks from the mammals in the presence as they did such of daredevil stunt.

Nick then dived into the leaves of the tree on their way and landed on the higher brance, from which he gathered more strength into his legs and bounced forwards from it and emerging out from the another side of the tree... and they both landed directly on the back of Nermal, catching him off guard and managing to pin him on his stomach to the ground.

"Dr. Nermal! You're under arrested for..." from the running in the full pace panting Nick said, until...

"IN YOUR DREAMS, COP! NO ONE OUTSMARTS DR. NERMAL! NO ONE! NOT EVEN THE FOX!" Nermal barked and, as a bigger and stronger animal than either of Nick and Skippy, Nermal rolled around, catching Nick and Skippy out of surprise and managed to shake Nick and Skippy off him.

Nick, with Skippy still hanging on his back, rolled over the ground until he landed on his feet...

...and he was about to get Nermal again, until the wolf poured some sand with his hind legs and kicked it straight to Nick's face, blinding him but only temporarily!

"Eat dust, fox! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-haa!" Nermal taunted, as he climbed back on his feet and ran off.

"Hey! That was unfair move! Wasn't it an unfair move, Uncle Nick." Skippy shouted after the mammal.

Strongly in the dust cloud coughing Nick quickly wiped his eyes clean from the sand and lifted his head up.

"Tell that to him, Skippy. The baddies always uses the unfair tricks to outsmart the cops." Nick said, untikl he jumped on his fours and rushed after the escaping wolf.

However, the fact that Nermal got the head lead wasn't Nick's and Skippy's next problem.

The real problem was, that there was a numerous roads where to run in the central park and numerous entrances where to exit from the Park, and in addition of that, it was the late night and the night's darkness covered most of the Cetral Park natural enviroment because of the lampposts lightened only the walking roads of the Park, meaning that Nermal had the chance to escape by hiding and sneaking among of the shadows and bushes while heading ti one of the entrances and escape from the park... and before Nick and Skippy would realize that, Nermal would be gone and completely far away out of their reach.

However, Nick and Skippy had to try to find him again, for Judy, before it was too late.

However, it proved to be quite difficult to try to track Nermal down because of darkness, bushes and the labyrinthine roads of the Park… and to Nick's annoyance, Nermal knew that too well.

And, much to Nick's and Skippy's annoyance, Nermal started to make the brief appearances from behind of the bushes and tree trunks, making with the annoying tone of voice the differend exclamations.

Starting with the "Let's play the hide and seek, coppy!" and continued with the several other taunting exclamations, such like...

"Wohoo! Over here!"

"Nononononoo, Nermal's over here!"

"You can't catch Nermal!"

"Catch Nermaö if you can!"

"Hehehehee!"

"Wohohohoo!"

"Woo-hoo!"

"Here-here-here-here-here!"

"Come here, boy!"

"Misss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me!"

"You can't even catch your shadow!"

"Nice miss!"

All of these exclamations were starting to get into Skippy's and Nick's nerves...

...as Nermal managed at least couple dozen times to make Nick and Skippy to lose either him or his tracks while wandering all around if the park.

Nermal even paid several clown pranks at them.

For example, he shot several spitballs at both Nick and Skippy from every corner while hiding among of the bushes.

And when Nicck jumped up on his feet to peek over the bushes to see if Nermal was behind of them, Nick got the hit straight to his faces from the thrown cream cake, that knocked Nick over, and which was following the taunting laugh among the further bushes.

Nermal even dared to hide to the bush next to Nick and Skippy when the duo - Nick on his all fours and Skippy standing on his back - was about to pass it, and triggered his pranks... by sounding the horn can right next to them.

The loud sudden sound caught both of them out of surprise, but it made poor Skippy to yelp loudly out of pain, as Nermal had sounded the horn can right next to Skippy's ears, whuch caused Skippy to grab with his paws from his head as the painfully loud sound echoed in his head.

Hearing Skippy's moaning out of pain and complaining in pain the echoing painful sound in his ears...

"Hey! Don't you know how sensitive ears the bunnies have!" Nick barked as he angrily turned to the bush, only to suddenly get the strong spray of water from the water hose straight to his faces.

And as the spraying stopped, leaving Nick to wipe the water off his faces and eyes, he heard yet again the taunting laugh from behind of the bush.

"Alright, that's it!" Nick angrily barked and charged through of the bush...

...only to find nobody when he and Skippy reached to the other side, leaving Nick confused as he bounced on his feet to look a bit further to see that where Nermal had gone now... and that how he had managed to disappear so quickly after he was right next to them before he triggered his pranks.

However, suddenly...

" _I am the biggest chicken..._ _Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwaak... from what every fox is dreaming... Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwaak! Come to get me, you fox-fox... Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwaak... who can't catch his own shadow... Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwak-Kwaak!_ " Nermal song tauntingly, as he appeared from behind of one bush and moved to behind of another bush, imitating the chicken.

Nick let out the annoyed growl to escape out of his mouth.

"Although in such a short time, I already hate this clown." Skippy said, as he was starting to slowly recover from Nermal's horn can's sound.

" _I hate you! I hate you!_ " Nermal mockingly imitated Skippy's words, far away in the bushes.

"SEE?! I'm already so sick of this clown!" Skippy complained with the annoyed tone of voice.

"Such of pity he isn't e real chicken, because if he is, I would take the pleasure of fleecing him, put him on the pot and eat him." Nick said, with the dark humor... which is the first time in his entire life when he actually has used the dark humor.

"However, you're right... this clown is also getting into my nerves, and for the personal reason than just because of his pranks!" Nick said, referring to Judy and the situation to which Nermal had got Judy into because of his own obsessive desire for candies.

And then, Nick jumped on his all fours again.

"Climb on, let's go after him!" Nick ordered.

Without the question nor hesitation, and with the strong will to hunt down the baddie and bring him down as an retribution for intentionally hurting his ears with the loud sound from the horn can.

"No other than on the back and to the baddie hunt! YII-HAA! Onward, Uncle Nick!" Skippy exclaimed, with the cowboy style.

Nick shook slightly his head with the smile on his lips.

"In case you haven't noticed yet, Skippy, but I'm fox, not the horse." Nick said.

"But you know what? You forgot something else than just your cowboy hat. You should have to take with you a star-shaped badge and lasso, then we would have here a junior Sheriff Skippy." Nick humorously added as he rushed after Nermal.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	8. Chapter 8

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 8**

SO CLOSE. PART 2.

Nick and Skippy went through most of the park for an one hour while searching Nermal...

...but to no avail. They did not find him anywhere, no matter how many times Nick and Skippy checked the bushes within the border of the lampposts, where they suspected that wolf clown to be hiding from them.

That wolf clown didn't even play pranks on them anymore, which hidded him perfectly to the park from them. Bad to Nick and Skippy, because they had begun to be extra cautious in case of the new pranks that Nermal would have set up for them, which would have also reveal to them Nermal's current location.

And looking for Nermal with to no avail was starting to get to Nick's and Skippy's nerves.

However, in the verge of the frustration, Nick came up to the new plan, using the advice Mr. Big had once said to him and Judy during of their Missing Mammal Case a long time ago.

 _My child. We may be evolved, but deep down, we are still animals._

And using this as an advantage, instead of looking for Nermal with their eyes, they started to use their natural animals instincts.

Remembering well that from what that piece of cloth from Nermal's clothes smelled, Nick started to use his sense of smell to catch up Nermal's scent, and with addition to that, Nick also started to use his perfect night vision to look into the shadows behind the trees and bushes beyond of the borders of the lampposts lights range and catch with his night vision any wolf-shaped shadowy figures sneaking in the shadows.

And Skippy, started to use his own sharp sense of hearing, which was very much like Judy's own, to locate Nermal's silent footsteps from the air.

Nick and Skippy decided to split up to investigate the area, from where they haven't yet searched for Nermal.

Searching the uninvestigated area's bushes, roads and the shadows took from them about over fifteen minutes, until...

Nick and Skippy, after they finally found something, hurriedly and silently hurried to each others to inform that what they have discovered.

"I found the footprints from the ground in middle of the road near of the southern entrance, in which has the very same scent of the wolf and the sugar as in the piece of cloth. The footprints then disappeared like the dust into the air before they even reached to the entrance and next to the grassy area, but his scent felt still strong to where his footprints disappeared into the gross and the darkness..." Nick informed at first.

"I heard the steps, walking steps, against the parks gravel road. And then, I heard then the silent running like steps against the soft ground, grass, I believe, as well as the sound of the shaking leaves from the impact like someone had just passing the bushes..." Skippy informed after Nick had informed his own information.

Nick started to think as he recalled Skippy's information in him mind for a couple times for a bit over five minutes.

"What are you thinking, Uncle Nick? All these informations are related to one wolf baddie, and all of this happened near of the park's southern entrance... what do you think that what this could mean?" Skippy said as he urged Nick to tell him, impatiently twitching from Nick's hoodie's skirt.

"That might mean that the baddie has most certainly exited off from the road before that entrance and taken a shortcut through of the park's grassy area, in the shadows, beyond of the range of the lamppost light, I guess..." Nick said, breaking the brief silence.

Skippy also started to think for a bit Nick's answer.

"Then the baddie may have been all of time aware of that we're going to investigate from the southern part of the Park while searching for him, right?" Skippy asked, like guessing this out of nowhere.

"Probably... and if so, he intentionally left the trail of his footprints on the road leading to the southern part of the Park to make us think that he's still in here somewhere, while he took off from the road to follow his shortcut." Nick asnwered.

"Does that mean that he wanted us to remain here searching for him in vain while he makes his escape?" Skippy asked.

"The short cut he took... it's leading to the north, but there's a longer distance between of southern and northern entrance. That means that he wants to make the quick exit before we realize that his gone." Nick explained.

"But there's the one entrance, which is in the end of the distance, which is a half of a shorter than the distance between of southern and northern entrances." Skippy informed.

Nick then turned to Skippy, with the wide grin on his lips.

"And what happens to be in between of north and south, if we go back to the central of the park and from there to the left leading road?" Nick asked with the sly smile, expecting somekind of answer from Skippy.

It did not take long from Skippy to guess that.

"The west entrance of the park!" Skippy asked.

"CORRECT, you little sly bunny! And that's the sollution to this! With all of those pranks, quick disappearings and the brief appears in everywhere, Nermal wanted to lead us to the southern part of the Park, so that he could sneak through of his short cut in the cover of the shadows and reach to the Park's west entrance... and..."

"... and to make his exit out of the park from there." Skippy finished.

"Correct! And right now, that fiend in heading straight to the west entrance of the park, and now he got the head start." Nick said.

"But I got the plant."

* * *

And, following Nick's plan...

...Nick told to Skippy that he wanted him to go after Nermal through of his own short cut to catch him up to the west entrance of the park, with reminding him that Nermal was the wolf and bigger than him, meaning that he couldn't move among the bushes without shaking the leaves and reveal his location...

...but, Skippy was the rabbit, smaller and lighter than the wolf, and the bunnies were capable to move beneath of the bushes duo to their small size without shaking them and revealing their location. That's what the bunnies did a long time ago to hide from the air hunting predators.

And now, Nermal was walking on two legs and he had the head start, but Nick told to Skippy to let his natural animal instincts out and go after him with all fours, so that he could gain the extra speed to go after Nermal.

And, before Nick send him off, Nick had to roll Skippy in the dirt to cover his white fur color, which might reveal him to the runner even in the end of small distance from the border of the lamppost light range...

...and to Nick's surprise, Skippy didn't make any resistant against the idea, 'cause he sometimes wanted to be a bit dirty... much to Barbara's discomfort.

And, doing what Nick told him to do, Skippy allowed his natural animal instincts to come out and his jumped on his all fours... and immediately rushed after Nermal.

And, following Nick's adviced - _imagine that eagle, hawk or owl is hunting you from above. Stay low, silent and in the hid_ \- Skippy remained low against the ground when he moved beneath of the bushes... moving from beneath of one bush to beneath of another at time.

And after doing this for ten minutes, Skippy was quite amazed... he was moving very silently.

And using his sharp sense of hearing as one of those natural animal instincts of his, he soon caught the sounds of the shaking leaves, along of the struggling and angrily growling-like sounds from nearby of the area...

...and judging from the short distance between of his spot and the source of the sounds, Nermal wasn't far away... so Skippy immediately headed straight towards the sounds... but remained quiet and moving in the low and beneath of the bushes and their leaves so that he would not reveal his location nor presence to Nermal.

And it did not take long from Skippy, before he caught among the bushes struggling Nermal in sight.

And as for Nick, Nick rushed down in all fours along the road, heading towards the central of the Park and turning from the southern road to the west road.

However, in the spots of each the park benches, Nick had to stop to sniff the air to smell to catch Nermal's scent and locate his location, not daring to look over the bushes and use his night vision in the risk of revealing himself to Nermal.

And, it did not take long from him to reach to the west entrance of the park.

No sight of Nermal out there, but its course suddenly changed night wind, that was carrying Nermal's scent from south to the north, was telling to Nick thyat Nermal was right on his way to the entrance... and he was close, very close.

And judged by the scent of a bit dirty bunny, Skippy was right on his tail.

And so, Nick quickly climbed on the nearby tree and settled on one of the branches to wait for good opportunity ambush Nermal from above when the time is up.

It took less than ten minutes from Nermal to appear out from the bushes to the west entrance's road, with his fancy clothes dirty and partially torn due to the bushes branches and dirty ground beneath of them.

And, as Nick suspected, Nermal looked around of him to make sure that he was alone and that the route was clear, clearly not bothering to waste time by sniffing the air to catch the scent of any possible pursuers to make sure that the area was totally clear.

"Hah! They went lost like little boys in the woods. Dr. Nermal is an genius and smartest than the duo of fox and rabbit." Nermal said arrogantly and started to walk towards the entrance to exit from the Park...

...until suddenly and completely unexpectedly to Nermal, a bit dirty Skippy appeared from the bushes and bounced right in front of him, startling the wolf so badly that he let out the girly scream and jumping backwards.

"What's the matter clown? Did the little and a bit dirty bunny scared you out of your pants? And I though that the clowns were supposed to be scarier." Skippy humorously said, as he "blocked" the way from Nermal.

Nermal gathered himself together after realizing that the bunny was the same bunny with the fox officer and knowing that when the rabbit was in present, the fox officer was nearby.

And so, not willing to wait for the fox officer's arrival and to be arrested, Nermal charged towards Skippy and tried to scare him out of his way by baring his teeth, growling and barking loudly and aggressive-like at Skippy.

However, Nick saw his chance and leaped off the tree's brance, landing towards Skippy charging Nermal's back and kicking him towards Skippy, who wasn't afraid of Nermal's aggressive-like acting at all.

And, as Nermal was about to fall over and towards Skippy, Skippy jumped on his back to the ground, coiling his hind legs and kicked the wolf to the face with all strength he had, sending the wolf to fall backwards until he landed on his butt to the ground.

This trick was taugh to him by Judy some time ago.

As Nermal was sitting in the ground, stroking his slightly bleeding nose with his paw...

"Smarter as you claim yourself to be, huh? Then why didn't you use your own natural instincts to see our coming through of your ears and nose rather than with your eyes, if may I ask?" Nick said, as he arrived to him with the handcuffs.

"Nermal Midas Wolf, like I told you earlier, you're under arrest for using the children for your illegal…"

However, before Nick could finish, Hermal suddenly pushed Nick over the ground and kicked Skippy away from him, before he quickly get up on the ground.

And thinking quickly, he quickly ran to another nearby tree and climbed to one of its brances than reached over the Park's fences, and proceed by jumping from the branch to the other side of the park's fence.

"Blasted!" Both Nick and Skippy cursed in disbelief that Nermal got away again!

"By my tail, why didn't I see that coming?!" Nick said, berating himself for leaving the tree, one of which brances reached to outside of the Park, unnoticed.

However, Nick landed back down on his all fours and quickly picked Skippy on his back and rushed out of the Park and after Nermal.

Nermal had with his sudden trick got the head start and he managed to gain even more distance bwteen of him and the duo by already crossing the road with the heavy traffic...

...forcing Nick to jump through of the hydrant to the front plates of the driving cars and kept going by jumping from one plate to another with his natural animal speed and flexibility to quickly cross the road.

This of course caused the cars, on the plates Nick had bounced, to stop in middle of the road, and the drivers reacted to this sudden act from the fox, in the back of which was riding the dirty white little rabbit, by yelling angrily after them and angrily shaking their fists at them.

Both Nick and Skippy, however, did not care from the insults what the angry drivers were yelling after them.

They had to catch up Nermal before they'll lose him again.

And they already had caught still escaping Nermal to their sight, following him to wherever his was going.

And they certainly had to keep up, because the loud sound of the heavy traffic and the mixed scents of the many animals covered the sounds of Nermal's steps and his scent from his clothes.

They got the glance of Nermal as he ran to the another alley, to where Nick and Skippy followed him.

And once there, Nermal started to throw over the garbage cans on Nick's and Skippy's way - or turn some of them over and kicking them to roll towards them - to slow them down and buy himself time to escape out of their reach.

Nick did his best to dodge the garbage cans, but in the narrow alley, it proved to be a bit difficult try to avoid every garbage can thrown on their way, until…

One a flying beverage can unexpectedly hit to Skippy's head and knocked him off from Nick's back.

Nick heard Skippy's loud yelp of pain as he landed roughly to the ground in Nick's high animal speed.

"Oh, no!" Nick gasped and immediately halted his run.

Nick then jumped back on his feet and turned around to see Skippy lying in the ground and even rolling in pain as he was holding from his right shoulder and gritted his teeth together in pain, probably having injured his shoulder or something!

"Damn! He must have hurt his left shoulder!" Nick though, as he was about to forget Nermal and go back to get to Skippy, but...

"Don't care about me, Uncle Nick! Just get him!" Skippy yelled as he held with his right paw from his left shoulder.

After what Nick heard Skippy saying, he went into shock after realizing that what Skippy meant.

Nick then found himself torn between of two choices.

Nick looked alternately to the direction to where Nermal just ran after causing Skippy to hurt himself and then to Skippy lying wounded in the end of the small distance between of them.

Nick greatly hesitated to leave Skippy wounded and on his own and yet in middle of the another dark alley full of bad mammals.

It would break his oath to ZPD and the ZPD's most important code... _to serve and protect_... by leaving the wounded civilian in the trouble.

"JUST GO! DON'T LET HIM GO! FOR AUNT JUDY!" Skippy screamed, after seeing that Nick hadn't moved after Nermal, urging Nick to continue the chase without him, for his goal to prove Judy's innocence.

Nick felt the bigger urge to forget the whole chase to get Skippy out of here.

And... because of his concern for Skippy's safety and well-being, which were in his responsibility, Nick started to ask from himself in his mind that what's the point from hunting down Nermal now when he had already got everything to prove Judy's innocence and got the evidences against Nermal.

However, sometimes it also demanded the full confession from the criminal himself for his crimes, which would assist his goal to prove Judy's innocence to Detective Oates with the high level.

However, Nick's sense of duty and his hesitation to turn his back to wounded Skippy and leave him behind to go after Nermal kind of paralyzed his legs.

"GO!" Skippy screamed again.

Strong sense to go to the wounded and get him into the safety, turn away and go after Nermal, do as Skippy had told him to do... all of these opinions filled Nick's mind, that made him bark out of frustration.

"If chief learns about this, he's gonna cut off my tail before he takes off my badge." Nick whispered to himself, as he still kept his concern-filled eyes on Skippy.

"And Barbara's definitely gonna skin me alive if SHE learns about this."

Nick then let the snort out of frustration to go ot between of his gritting teeth.

"Well, rather Barbara than chief himself." Nick said to himself, and turned yet again to Skippy.

"Hide beneath of the garbage can and wait in there! I'll be back for you!" Nick said, as he reluctantly turned around, jumped on his all fours again and continued the chase after Nermal.

Nermal had once again the head start, but thanks to Nick's natural animal speed with which he ran through of the narrow dark alley, he soon caught Nermal in sight.

However, Nick, angered of Nermal causing Skippy to got hurt and having finally enough of this running after the clown magician with full of tricks, that he immediately jumped upright on his feet and pulled out his taser.

"Stop, Nermal! One last chance. Stop!" Nick yelled with the officer's stern voice, as he aimed his taser towards Nermal.

And as Nermal didn't stop running, Nick eventually fired two electric darts after him, hoping them to hit him to his butt.

But instead, Nermal dodged them in nick of time that the darts accidentally hit the bowing black jaguar's butt.

"You missed me, sucker!" Nermal yelled over his shoulder at Nick as he kept running.

The jaguar, whose attention was caught by the passing running wolf, felt suddenly a stinging pain in his butt as the electirc darts got hit to it and the jaguar let out the loud roar out of pain as the electric darts shocked him for a while, before the jaguar fell to the ground, stunned by the shock.

"Sorry about that." Nick said with the apologizing tone as he quickly passed the stunned jaguar, quickly removing the darts off from his butt before continuing his chase after the wolf.

"Foxes…" Jaguar murmured as Nick disappeared out of sight.

A plan A had failed. Now Nick had to use the plan B to shove to Nermal how serious he really was right now.

With the four-foot running speed, Nick was able to catch up Nermal, or at least get closer of with two legs running wolf... until he was so close of him that he quickly jumped back on his feet, quickly pulling out the Skippy's firecrackers he had confiscated from him earlier and matchstick.

Nick took handful of the firecrackers and quickly scratched the matchstick's sensitive end against the wall, igniting it on fire, and then he proceed by igniting with it the crackers and threw them towards Nermal, aiming the small distance away from Nermal as an attempt to halt him and then catch him.

The crackers flew between of Nermal's legs, landing a bit away from him to the ground and then one by one exploded and created the thick smoke everywhere, surprising and halting Nermal's escape immediately.

This gave Nick time to shorten the distance between of them... and thanks to the wooden fence, which blocked the way to the streets in the other side and served as an dead end for Nermal's escape, the wolf was finally trapped.

"Hah! I-I got you now!" The panting Nick exclaimed as he kept running towards Nermal.

But, however, looking once again around of him and thinking quickly, Nermal suddenly jumped over the garbage cans against the alley's right-side wall and one of them was against the wooden fence andclimbed over the top of the wooden fence as he made his another narrow escape.

Nermal then stood up on the fence and turned to look at Nick, who was still running towards him with the last of the strength he got left.

"Bye, bye, officer Slow-Like-Turtle. Dr. Nermal's gotta go now but I got a little street magic trick just for you." Nermal said, mockingly waving his paw as an goodbye to Nick, as he took out the handful of his own smoke bombs out of his pocket.

And seeing this, Nick realized that Nermal was about to make the old one disappearing trick!

"Oh, no! Not again!" Nick shouted in annoyance.

If Nermal gets time to throw the bombs to the ground and disappear like the dust into the air and without tracks under of the smoke, he'll never find him again.

So, Nick doubled his two-leg running speed towards the garbage cans and jumped over them, before he gathered the strength into his legs and bounced into the air, lunging straight towards on the fence standing Nermal with the loaded taser gun aimed at his chest.

" _Hocus Pocus, Nermal said, bye bye now and fade into night!_ Hihihihihehehehehahahaa!" Nermal giggled mockingly as he threw the bombs against the cover of garbage can right bellow of him to the ground, creating the huge smoke cloud from the impact of the bombs against the can's cover.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nick barked and fired the darts to the smoke.

Oddly, he did not hear the lupine-like yelps out of pain, neither the electric sounds after impact, as the darts disappeared to the smoke.

But instead, Nick heard the sound of the breaking class and the car's tire rubbing drastically against the car road's asphalt from the smoke cloud... or behind of the smoke cloud... before the smoke cloud swallowed Nick himself.

As Nick coughed couple times, as he flew through of the thick and blinding smoke cloud, he prepared to land painfully against to the ground or whatever was behind of the cloud...

...until he landed roughly against the something, which felt like a car's windshield.

And, as the cloud faded, the thing on whuch Nick had landed through of the cloud was revealed to be indeed car's windshield.

Nick groaned out of pain after the rough landing, before he was able to open his eyes.

But once Nick did so and looked looked inside of the car, he realized that the car was much to his surprise the police cruiser of ZPD.

But right now he really hoped that he was not in the scene right now.

Nick realized that he was looking through of under of hic weight cracked windshield into the eyes of the DEETECTIVE OATES himself, who was sitting surprised, shocked and confused in the driver's seat of the car.

Nick slowly turned his eyes to the pig officer sitting in the passenger's seat and noticed, that the electric darts he shot a moment ago, were flew through the windshield's class and hit the pig officer to the chest.

The pig officer was now knocked out by Nick's electric darts, which were still attached to his chest, and he was at the moment lying limp on his passenger seat.

"Oops." Nick murmured, as he realized that what he had done.

Also Oates noticed this, and turned his angered eyes at Nick, who was stumbling up from the windshield.

"Uh… Hehehehee. Uh… well. I, eh… uh… Hi, Mr. Oates. Uh... how are you? Are you... on the little car jogging tonight... right now? Ehehehee." Nick said nervously as Oates gaze in his eyes hardened.

"WIIIIIIIILDE!" Oates neighed with the loud and angry voice.

As Oates came out of the car and Nick landed from the car's front pelt to face angry horse detective.

Nick new that this through of accident happened reunion was far from the happy, friendly and sunny atmosphere… even though it was late of night.

"Do you think, Wilde, that I am very happy about what just happened... or more likely said, what you just did!" Oates said with the berating tone.

"Something happened behind of that wooden fence because we heard the explosions, as if someone had fired the punch of firecrackers, even though it's not yet the New Year's Eve. Then that cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere in the top of the fence, as well as two electic darts which flew from the cloud through my car's windshield and stroke and stunned my pig partner, which caused me to temporalily lost the control of my own cruise. And then you just showed up from the smoke, landing on my cruise's windshield and ye tholding from the taser gun that's linked with those darts in my partners chest. What was that all about? And ambush? SOMEKIND OF STUPID CHILDISH TRICK OR WHAT?" Oates said, letting out the annoyed snort.

"But sir, let me explain myself. At first I did not know that you were right behind of the wooden fence and that cloud of smoke. And secondly, I was…" Nick tried to say but was quickly interrupted by Oates.

"And because you came from that alley behind of that wooden fence, from where the explosions came from? Was it you, who caused those explosion-like sounds from the firecrackers out of there on the alley?"

"Well, kind of yes, but…"

"I though that police officers are supposed to confiscate such of dangerous toys from the troubled teens, not play with them themselves." Oates berated Nick.

"But sir, I…" Nick tried yet again to explain himself but was once again interrupted by Oates.

"And I though that you were busy trying to solve the case to prove your soon-to-be ex-partner's innocence. Well, if you have a new information… please, share and try to impress me." Oates said harshly.

Nick began immediately to explain the whole case progress, and this time without Oates to interrupt him, starting from the very beginning when he had found Judy in the strange zombie-like state after Oates left from Barbara's house.

"She moved like the bunny in drunk, and this is not about of drinking herself in drunk… she was pale-furred like a vampire and she felt cold like ice... and yet, she had the lifelessly greyed eyes… she also moaned like she was like a zombie, only the empty shell." Nick started.

"Aha, so, the news of her as an criminal did hit her so badly that she drank herself in drunk. I get it. Please, continue…" Oates urged.

Nick frowned and gave the dark scowl to Oates for his insulting comment for Judy, but he quickly changed the expression in his faces and continued.

"I took her to the hospital to find out that what was wrong with her. And in Dr. Madge's reception, she checked her completely out twice and told me that this was all about the hypnosis, as I told you during of my call to you earlier today. And if I haven't already told you about this during of my last call to you, Dr. Madge told me that Judy's case was not her the first one because she had already checked out her last patient who was under of the very same state as Judy right now. And she told me that she had had tried to wake him and Judy from under of hypnosis by clicking her fingers but without the effect. Eventually she declared that only the original hypnotist may withdraw this spell of hypnosis from Judy and ordered me to pay visit on the Halloween Town to seek more the information about all of this from there… and so I did. At first, after our not-well-ending call, I went to investigate to the crime scene yet again." Nick said.

But even so far, Nick cleary saw it from Oates eyes and in his wide grin on his lips... and not to mention about his sarcastic nodding.

The Detective-Horse-Butt took nothing what Nick had just said seriously, but still allowed him to continue.

Nick decided to leave out the mention of Skippy's being involved to this whole investigation all of time, because he remembered the deal with Oates and the agreements between of them.

If Nick was gonna solve this case, he'll solve it on his own. With no one's help, expected the suspect ones.

Nick knew very well that if Oates finds out that he had took, even against his own will at first before his urging need for the partner got best of him, the civilian bunny with him to possibly dangerous investigation, he was in the big trouble and he would possibly lose either his job or his chance to solve this case to prove Judy's innocence to the Shopping Paradise theft.

Nick felt the cold sweat running along on his furry temples and cheeks. This happened always when he was nervous or stuck in the very bad stituation, even though this was quite nothing compared to meetings with Mr. Big, if he wasn't in the good mood or was angry at him for something.

However, Nick kept his cool to stay calm and continued reporting.

"Back in the crime scene, I found from the nearby alley two clues what you and your guys had missed during of YOUR investigation."

Nick took out the picture with the wolf's footsprints and the torn piece of cloth in a plastic bag to show to Oates.

"If I remember correctly, Judy's own footprints are much more smaller and thin yet differently shaped than these ones in the paper, Mr. Oates. And I don't remember she had left from Barbara's home to the Shopping Paradise with the black silk-made cloth. This piece of silk cloth happens to be of good quality and quite expensive." Nick explained.

"And there's no bunny scent neither of them… but the scent of timber wolf. This means that the real culprit was a timber wolf by his species."

Oates, however, rolled his eyes and let out the bored snort.

"And how do you know that, as you said, "a real" culprit was a timber wolf by his species, officer Wilde? And who is this _HE_?"

"Well, because along with the scent of wolf, the silk cloth like this is used in the clothes which are used by the people of circus… mostly by a magicians. Also the scent of cuddly fur and chocolate, cotton candy and sugar led me to there. So I paid the visit in the Halloween Town and I went to have a word with the Halloween Circus' ringmaster, Zeke Midas Wolf. With the all information he gave to me, I know that the certain timber wolf is actually his own sweets-loving son, Nermal Midas Wolf, who a year ago quit himself from the circus after getting humilitated in front of the children crowd in order to become the street magician… only to be disappeared from the reach of his own father for the couple years."

"So, the sweets-loving timber wolf, eh?" Oates said.

"Yes… and I think that all those children gone missing lately might relate to this case. They're another clue." Nick said.

"Officer Wilde, I already told you that…" Oates tried to say but was this time interrupted by Nick.

"Yes, I know. It's your job to solve these strange disappearances, not mine." Nick said. "But it's quite interesting that all those children oddly and surprisingly went missing at the same night, when the crime in the Shopping Paradise happened."

Oates tried to speak again but Nick speak over his own words interrupting him again.

"Aren't you even surprised that most of that neighborhood's children went missing on the same night when the crime happened, and tht there's no other reports of an offense except that one in the Shopping Paradise what Judy does not even remember to commit or to be involved of it."

"Actually Wilde, there's been a couple reports about the burglary targeted to the…"

"…candy shops, right?" Nick asked, interrupting Oates once more.

Oates went speechless that Nick actually guessed that correctly.

"See… a timber wolf, who went missing couple years ago to become to a street magican… All those children who went missing on the same night those crimes happened… the hypnosis… Judy not remembering her being part or committing the crime… and the robbed candy shops. The pieces of this whole case begin to fall into place as one piece, which tells me with the one hundred percent that Nermal Midas Wolf is behind of everything!" Nick declared loudly and eagerly.

However…

"Not so fast, Officer Wilde…" Oates said, which caused the smile on Nick's face to fade and being replaced by the look of confusion.

"Even though all of that what I just heard... from the mouth of the fox... is all true, how you're gonna explain that the missing children, robbed candy shops, your case and that wolf… whateverhisnamewas… are in fact related to each others as one piece?"

Nick eager smile came back and he took out the bunny-sized camera.

"I got a final evidence, I managed to lure him out from his hideaway and record with this camera his criminal activity. If you watch this, you'll see that he hypnotizes the children with the hypnotism watch to take them under of his control and orders them to do the firty works for him. I was chasing him through of this square from Salmiac's candy shop with my little buddy partner until I collided with you and he get away."

Suddenly…

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down, Officer Wilde. What do you mean about "your little buddy partner?" Weren't you supposed to work alone as we agreed" Oates asked with the sucpious look.

Nick realized in shock that he had got too far gone with his words.

Suddenly…

"Uncle Nick! Uncle Nick! Nermal! Did you got him? Where's he and…" They head Skippy's voice calling for Nick from the alley.

And it did not take long before the little white-furred rabbit appeared from the hole in the wooden fence to next of Nick, still holding with his paw from his left shoulder...

...which he seemed to be able to move, albeit only slightly and not without gritting his teeth in pain, telling to Nick that nothing bad had happened to Skippy, such like Skippy managed to broke his arm or that his arm had gone dislocated from the shoulder, thanks to Nermal, but Skippy had probably got some scratches from his fall off Nick's back.

And after Skippy appeared in next to Nick, he instantly spotted Oates standing right front of them.

"Oh… Hi, Detective-Horse-Butt, as uncle Nick said. We were right about investigating on our case in order to try to find out who framed aunt Judy for the candy theft in that shop, which she does not remember to commit or even being involved. We found some clues from the alley in the next of the crime scene, where uncle Nick defended me from the big nasty grizzly bully. And after some investigation in the Halloween Town, we found out that who's the real baddie behind of this case and we lured him out from the shadows by using me as the bait and dressed as the homeless poor bunny child so that Nick was able to film the criminal acticity as evidence to prove aunt Judy's innocence and bring the real fiend behind the bars. We were about to run him down through the streets, alleys, all around of the Park and roads full of cars as he tried to evade us but he..." Skippy said as he turned with the wide, eager and proud bunny smile to look at Nick...

...who, however, instead of smiling back at Skippy like he usually does, tried nervously to motion him to stop talking any more in the presence of Oates.

While talking, Skippy looked to everywhere around of him, looking for Nermal with his eyes, but he didn't see that twisted wolf-clown-magician anywhere in the area.

"...apparently got away, again. Didn't he, Uncle Nick? Didn't he?" Skippy asked from Nick as he started to slowly realize that Nermal had got away from them again, and this time for good, causing his wide and eager bunny smile to fade away and turn into the disappointed expression and his heartily above of his head hanging bunny ears lost their grip and fell down against the back of his head.

And after Skippy had finished, Nick tried to create some excuses to explain himself and Skipper, but it was too late.

Oates had already heard everything.

"Busted!" Nick murmured, as he slapped his right paw against his faces out of frustration... knowing too well what to expect from this.

Oates eyes turned from Skippy to Nick, lifting one of his eyebrows up as he created the questioning look on his faces as he staared down at Nick.

Nick was trying nervously evade the eye-contact with him but it failed.

"You brought the civilian bunny… even a child… to investigate your case as your "buddy partner" even though you knew that we didn't agreed with that when you took up this case?! Is this true, officer Wilde?!" Oates questioned with the venomous eyes targeted down at Nick.

"Uh, yes but I…" Nick tried to explain, only to be harshly interrupted again by Oates.

"And is this true that this... little bunny child... was running with you through of the dark and criminals-filled alleys and on the streets and car roads full of fast driving cars, which are usually the extremely dangerous places for the little children in his age?!"

"Hey, I'm not little!" Skippy, annoyed of being called "little" once again, loudly protested, but Nick quickly silenced him, preventing him from making the situation even worse, before Nick turned back to Oates in order to explain.

"Yes, but sir, I…" Nick tried, but Oates spoke over his words once again.

"Do you understand that you placed the innocent life… the civilian's life... yet even the child's life… in the great danger by taking him in the investigation of this case, which are the police officers' and detectives job, not the little bunnies' jobs!"

"And did I heart it correctly, that you EVEN USED HIM AS A BAIT FOR YOU SO-CALLED CRIMINAL TO LURE HIM OUT FROM HIS HIDEAWAY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO CIVILIAN DURING OF THIS INVESTIGATION! HE COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY A CAR! OR HE COULD HAVE FOUND HIMSELF AS AN CHEWING TOY OR AS AN KICKING BALL OF THE HOOLIGANS THAT ARE ON THE MOVE AT NIGHTTIME!" Oates furiously barked.

"AND NOW LOOK AT HIM! hE'S LUCKY THAT HE DIDN'T HURT HIMSELF EVEN BADLY THAN JUST HAVING THE SCRATCH INTO HIS ARM!"

Skippy then made his stand by coming between of Oates and Nick.

"Hey, don't you blame Uncle Nick like that, Detective-Horse-Butt, as Uncle Nick called you after you left from our house. Uncle Nick was torn between of following the rules of your stupid agreemend and his burning need for the partner to this case. But I myself volunteered to come along and I persuaded him to take me along with him to investigate this case, even though he was very reluctant to allow me to come as his a new bunny partner in aunt Judy's place, even though I knew all too well the risks, but I didn't cared. All what I wanted to do was to help Nick in his case and I voluntarily agreed to be used as live bait for that twisted wolf-clown Nermal... only to help him to progress in the case…"

"And yes, I got hurt from my shoulder during of the investigation of the case when we chased Nermal through the streets, car road, alleys and Park, but not so badly. It was just a scratch, nothing worse. But it's not uncle Nick's fault if I hurted myself. It's that fiend's fault who caused this whole mess in the first place. He hit me with the beverage can when we chased him through of that alley and I fell off Nick's back during of his four-foot running speed and I hurted my shoulder... but I asked/demanded Uncle Nick to continue chasing Nermal instead of turning back to help me, until he finally got away." Skippy said, defending Nick and berating Oates for his severity towards Nick.

"Stay out of the adults business, kid." Oates snarled sharply as Skippy, making the little white-furred bunny to back off.

Nick reached with his left arm to Skippy and pulled him behind of his back to keep him out of this.

And then, Nick turned back to Oates and attempted to speak again, but Oates quickly and harshly spoke over his words, once again."

"Didn't we agreed that you're gonna solve this case all alone and not without the help from anyone, except the suspect ones?! And now, you've broken the rules of our agreement!" Oates shouted, causing Nick to feel himself like the mammal cornered to the corner with no escape.

"But with his help, I've reached this far in this case. Without his help, I could have never - or maybe not in time - find these clues and not even get this evidence, with which I can use as evidence against Nermal and Judy's charges." Nick sain in self-defense.

"You know well yourself that I could have never been reached this far within two days. Or was that rule "on my own and with no help from anyone" supposed get me deliberately to fail in this case with the limited chances so that you can, through of the half-false evidences, throw Judy Hopps to the jail for the one small theft like some kind of high-levelled dangerous criminal… just like the chief Bogo seemingly did with Judy as an attempt to deliberately get rid of her when he put everything she got to the game to solve her first big case with the unfairly limited reasources?"

Then there appeared an annoying grin on Oates face.

"Well, thank you for that, Wilde. I'll take that one… as all of those "Detective-Horse-Butt" commeds for me behind of my back... as an insult towards me." Oates said and, suddenly, he took the camera, the piece of the silk cloth and the paper with Nermal's footsprints.

And… to Nick's and Skippy's shock and horror… Oates rip the pic into pieces and threw their with the hard effort and sweat acquired clues into the nearby garbage can... and he even deliberately dropped the camera to the ground and lifted his leg up and above of the camera.

Nick realized that what Oates was about to do.

"No, no, no, NO, NO, NO, DON'T! THAT'S THE MAJOR EVIDENCE FOR PROVING JUDY'S..." Nick tried but too late.

Oates landed his leg down and stomped the camera beneath of his hoof, smashing it.

"…innocence." Nick murmured out of shock and despair, as the horse detectine kneeled down and picked the pieces of the broken camera and thew them to the garbage can after the other evidence.

"That's the punishment of breaking the rules of our agreemend with my terms... and well as for insubordination with the insulting words." Oates said, explaining his actions as he turned back to Nick and Skippy.

"Geez! You're even worse than even chief Bogo himself..." Nick murmured silently.

Skippy stood still in next to Nick, with his eyes widened, his ears having jumped back upright (and eventually fell back down against the back of his head) and his lower jaw was hanging out of shock... after witnessing with his very own eyes Oates breaking the camera under of his leg... and the evidence for proving Judy's innocence along with it.

"Hey, that was my mom's camera!" Skippy yelled at Oates in anger!

"In the fox hands, it looked like the toy camera to me. Besides, it was already broken. The small scratch in the corner, if case you failed to see." Oates simply, and with the school bully-like style, said to Skippy, who stared at the horse detective with the long and dark scowl...

...yet with the watery eyes, because Skippy had got from his mother the permission to borrow it for taking the pictures on the Halloween Eve, on the condition that he would not break it. Skippy had also promised to his mother that he would return that he would return it to her as in one piece.

But now when it was broken, Skippy was unable to return it back to his mother, and he began desperately to think how he would explain this to her mother, as it was sure that Barbara would never believe that some "honest" horse detective deliberately broke it.

And in the feel of ashamed for not being able to keep his promise to his mother, Skippy lowered his head down and his expression turned from anger even more into the look of ashamed and sadness.

Nick saw this and lied his paw comfortingly over Skippy's shoulders, which gave to Skippy even more strenght to hold back his tears, even though a couple of them managed to escape and ran down along his cheeks.

Nick also created the dark scowl at Oates.

"Yep... definitely worse than Bogo." Nick murmured.

And then, Oates ears axted like the horse detective had just caught some noises from nearby distance.

And so did Nick's and Skippy's ears, as the sources of the sounds came closer.

And when they were close enough, Nick recognized the sounds.

The sirens of the police cruise.

Oates then turned to Nick.

"And, speaking of the chief Bogo, Wilde." Oates said as he turned to thedirection of the sirens.

And within the seconds... at least four-six more police cruisers appeared and stopped right next to Oates' car.

"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one..." Nick counted, as he knew what to expect at first.

"WILDE!" Nick heard chief Bogo's angry shout as the buffalo came out from the lead cruiser.

"A'aaaaaand... here we go." Nick added.

"SKIPPY SPEEDLEG!" There was the another voice, following right after Bogo's own, and which belonged to none else than to Barbara.

"Uh, oh! Now we're in really bad trouble." Skippy whispered to Nick, as he quickly held back his tears or wiped them off from his eyes and cheeks with his paws.

And soon, the duo found themselves in front of at the mangrily glaring chief Bogo and Barbara.

"Where have been looking for you everywhere!" Chief said with the stern tone and angry frown.

"You two... especially you, Nicholas Piderius Wilde... own me a rational explanation for being out late for over six-seven hours!"

While Barbara was berating Skippy for not telling him for what they really sneaked outside of the door and even staying out after midnight. Bogo was at the very same time berating Nick for bringing the civilian… and even a child… along with him to the investigation of the case and for having placed Skippy's life in the danger during the investigation, both sternly and coldly reminding the fox officer that the investigation of the cases were the duties of ZPD's officers', not civilians' and especially not the little children's duty.

Even both Nick's and Skippy's attempts to explain their both's motives in order to justify their actions for the good purpose and to defend each other weren't enough to calm chief and Barbara down.

And Detective Oates only worsened the stituation even more by telling everything what he had heard from Skippy and Wilde.

However, much to dox-and-rabbit duo's annoyance, Oates edited the trust by leaving Nermal and the entire hypnosis part without telling and told to chief instead that soon-to-be ex-officer Hopps had nothing else wrong, but she had only drank herself in drunk out of feel of guilty, and that Nick took Skippy quite deliberately along with him to play the detective only. He even claimed Nick and Skippy being playing with the firecrackers in the alley and during of the surprising reunion… Nick had out of surprise dropped Barbara's camera from his paws to the ground, which caused it to went broken, which greatly added Barbara's (along with Bogo's) disappointment upon of Nick and Skippy.

The information of Nick "breaking" the camera her late husband gave for her as an gift, made Barbara to mourn its loss, because she had taken with it many wonderful family memories... and now when the camera was broken, she was unable to take anymore any pictures of her family... and she was also unable to buy a new one.

"Don't worry, Ms. Barbara. I can buy to your a new camera with as an replacement for the old one that butterfingered fox just broke." Oates said to Barbara, angering Nick and Skippy, because their claims of Oates being the one who was resbonsible for the breaking Barbara's camera and Oates being the liar, were ignored by chief and Barbara.

Bogo then turned to Wilde.

"Wilde, when the Halloween Eve is over, you'll spend two months in parking duty for insubordination! And you're released from the task of investigating this case, and the officer Hopps unfortunate incident will be now in Oates hooves." Chief Bogo declared firmly.

Nick couldn't help but let the word "WHAT?!" loudly out of his mouth.

"But sir, you do not understand! Judy being framed for the robbery of the Shopping Paradise is why I'm doing this, solving this case to prove her innocence and trying to wake her from her current state, which has nothing do to about drinking herself to drunk out of feel of ashamed, confusion or guilty! And I've worked hardly the whole night to have the evidences to free Judy from the charges against her. Oates hasn't done anything about it and now he just sabotaged my efforts to prove Judy innocent by destroying the evidences and clues! You gotta believe me, chief!" Nick pleaded, but...

"Not another word, Wilde! I've spoken!" Chief said sharply, refusing to listen Nick.

"Consider yourself being lucky, Wilde, that I don't resign you from ZPD for breaking the code by placing the child's life in unnecessary danger." Bogo said and walked towards his police cruiser to leave the scene, followed by the other cops that arrived with him.

The police cruises soon left from the scene, except for chief's cruise, that remained behind to give Barbara and Skippy the ride back to Barbara's.

As the chief in the driver's seat opened the door from the passenger's seat, Barbara took from Skippy's paw and started to walk with him towards the car.

And on their way, Skippy desperately tried to get his mother to listen to him, only to be sternly silenced by Barbara.

"Skippy. You, young man, are grounded for one month… no video games, no hanging out with the friends, no dessert and no candies... one month!"

Skippy's eyes widened and ears jumped up after hearing this... and this was following Skippy's voice turning even more pleading.

"But mom, you promised! Give me even next night. Please? Please please please please?" Skippy pleaded, but Barbara had made her decidion.

Barbara only took the firm grip from Skippy's wrist and took him to the chief's car.

But before they entered into the car ans sat upon the driver's seat, Barbara turned to Nick.

"And Wilde, I need to talk with you two alone once we're back home!" Barbara said darkly to Nick as she entered after Skippy to chief's car.

As the chief, Barbara and Skippy drove away. Oates then catched Nick's attention.

"You're lucky that you at least did't got fired, officer Wilde." Oates said as he leaned down nearly to Nick's head's level.

Nick let out the angered growl as he turned around to look at Oates to the eyes.

"You did all of that deliberately!" Nick snarled at Oates.

"Yes, I did... but because you got to keep your badge, I'll say that our agreement, still with my terms, is still in effect." Oates said.

This left Nick a quite confused, because the last thing he heard was that chief released him from the investigation of the case and placed him under the parking duty for the next two months after Halloween was over.

But, before he was able to say the word "What?" He was quickly interrupted by Oates.

"I'll grant you the second chance to solve this case, but this time, without the help or partners. And remember, that if you try to pick the evidence and clues out from that garbage can, I'll break our agreemend right here and right now and pay the visit at Barbara's to take Judy with me to the custody as punishment for the candy theft in the Shopping Paradise. Understood?!" Oates said, as he went in his car and drove away from the scene...

...leaving Nick behind to double-depressed, due the fact that all his and Skippy's efforts to prove Judy's innocence were all in vain... complete thanks to Detective Oates.

* * *

And, because Oates did not bother to give Nick the lift back to Barbara, Nick had to order the tax to take him there.

It was five o'clock at night when Nick arrived back to Barbara's and stepped into the house.

And once entering into the living room, Nick found Barbara sitting in one of the living room's sofa, with the living room's table's table lamp as her only companion.

Barbara demanded Nick to sit onto another sofa, so that they would be able to start their discussion for tonights events right here and right now... with the cost of the remaining hours of night.

However, Nick asked for permission to pay the quick visit on Judy before their harsh discussion, which Barbara reluctantly but quickly granted.

"Make it quick!" Barbara said sternly as she dismissed Nick for a while.

And with that, Nick headed to the guest room's door and opened the door slightly open... and proceed by looking inside through of the gap to see that was Judy in there, before he opened the door even more to step in.

There Judy lied on the bed, in the very same lifeless and motionless statue-like position as Nick had left her after bringing her back from the hospital trip earlier today and then departed to do some investigations for the case.

Judy had her still lifelessly greyed eyes open and there was no any friendly reaction in her face in Nick's presence like usually she used to have.

All what she only did was just aimlessly looking at the room's ceilimg, moaning quietly.

It hurted Nick to see Judy in the state like this, as an empty aimless and motionless shell, especially when he was so close... so, so, so, so, so close... to have the evidences against the charges against her, to prove her innocence cleaning her name and to arrest Nermal for his crimes.

Now all of those evidences were gone... and Nick had only nineteen hours time to prove judy's innocence.

Completely impossible mission!

Nick walked to Judy's side on the bed and sat down next to Judy, looking at her with the eyes full of sorrow for her and the desperation for his extremely poor chances to prove her innocence.

Nick stretched out his right paw towards Judy's head, placing his fingers over her eyelids and gently moved them down, closing her eyes. Judy did not make any resistance on it, but aimlessly allowed Nick to do it... even though she probably didn't even knew that what Nick just did.

Nick then ran his paw over Judy's cold forehead for the several times, before he moved his paw from Judy's forehead over her left cheek, gently rubbing with his thumb Judy's soft furry cheek from beneath of her left eye.

Nick was even kind of expecting Judy letting out the pleasant purr from the feel of his touch against her cheek like she usually does... but this time there was no the purring sound to be heard from Judy.

And because of the sorrow of seeing Judy in this state like this along with his intentionally sabotaged efforts to prove Judy's innocence because of Oates and his terms in their agreemed, it proved to be difficult for him to find the perfect words to say.

However, he had to say something quickly, and then go back to face Barbara's wrath.

And then, Nick leaned closer of Judy's faces, moving his muzzle next to Judy's ear...

"I'm sorry, Judy. I'm so sorry for letting you down. I tried my best for your sake, but my efforts weren't enough. I hope that you'll forgive me my failure." Nick whispered into Judy's ear, not caring about the fact that Judy didn't even hear him

And with that, Nick ran his paw over Judy's head for one more time, before he jumped off from the bed and moved out of the guest room, leaving Judy to "sleep" over the remaining hours of night in the bed.

 **TO BE CONTINUE...**


	9. Chapter 9

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 9**

 **HALLOWEEN EVE**

Finally, it was the Halloween Eve's night upon the city of Zootopia. The entire neighborhood around of Barbara's house was full of little children, walking with their parents or in the small groups through the streets and walking from the door to door begging for candy, disguised into a different costumes, such like superheroes, pirates, clowns, cowboys, indians, knights, dinosaurs, snowmen and the different types of horror movie monsters like vampires, savage wolves, mummies, frankenstein's monsters, ghosts, zombies, aliens, devils, blobs, pumpkin-headed scarecrows and some mythical creatures like witches, centaurs, nymphs, fairies, unicorns, hobgoblins, dragons, goblins, wizards and so on.

Nick was standing in the garden of Barbara's house, waiting for the children so that he can watch after them tasked by Barbara.

However, his happiness for the Halloween Eve had faded because he had spend the whole day searching for the new clues to find a new evidence aganist the charges against poor Judy. Unfortunately, Nick had not found anything new and he did not dare to take the old ones as an clues and evidences because that Detective-Horse-Butt would think most definitely that he had taken them out of garbage can.

He was defeated by Oates and Nermal… he had nothing to prove Judy's innocence in time and it bothered him deeply than anything else.

However, he wiped that out from his mind as Barbara's house's door opened and her children came out all dressed in the different costumes.

Two twelve-years-old bunny twin girls had disguised as one as the mythical centaur. One of them acted as the front end and one of them as rear end of the horse body. One of the girls, Tina as her name, had dyed her whole upper body with hazel-brown paint and she had a long brown wig as centaur hair, and she weared brown bikinis. Her twin sister Nina, did not really like the idea that she had to be the rear end of centaur, and she continuously complained about it inside of the rest of the costume.

And after the twin sisters and their centaur-costume, out of the door stepped then 13-14 years old bunny girl named Trudy, who had dressed herself to look like one of the blue-skinned mammaloid alien Bun'ny from her favorite movie, Tiger Striperon's Bunnytar movie from year 2009. She had the yellow lenses in her eyes, her faces were dyed with the blue face paint and with a makeup the dark-blue stripes and light spots, she had the blue long fake tail hanging on her backside, she had long and black wig as Bun'ny's black hair and she held on her paw the long toy bow.

And after Trudy, nine-year old bunny boy named Tom stepped out from the door. Tom had disguised himself as Spider-Bunny, because he had fond to the superhero movies and comic books, especially those ones who related to the Spider-Mammal.

Tom was then followed by ten-years old white-furred bunny boy named Danny, who had disguised himself as Count Dracula. His pale-gray fur granted to him the vampires pale skin and he had the fake vampire fangs in his mouth and with the large black cape which resembled the vampire bat's wings when Danny spreaded the cape in the air.

Danny was then followed by seven years old bunny boy named James, who was a bit older than Skippy. James was very fond to the pirates films, which had motivated him to disguise himself as a pirate captain Hook with the red pirate hat, red pirate coat and the fake hook in his left paw.

James had also asked two of his brothers, eight-years- old Jake and six-years-old Charlie, to dress as the Tick-Tock crocodile, but both had told to James that they had different plans with their own costumes, much to James dissapointment.

And when they came out from the door after James, Charlie had disguised himself as snowman, and Jake had disguised himself as an Zorro. Their costumes earned a bit disapproval from James, who peeked over his shoulder at them with still disappointed look on his faces.

Then there was two ten-years-old twin brothers named Glenn and Benn, who stepped out from the door disguised themselves as the Green Dragon with the fake tail and fake wings. Glenn, like his sister Tina, got their costume's front part while Benn got the rear end of their dragon costume, just like his sister Nina.

And, next one who came out of the door was the seven-eight years old brown-furred bunny girl names Sasha, who had dressed herself as an indian girl and that she had the indian face paint on her faces. And yet, Sasha was also wearing upon of her head the large indian headdress, in which was the long line of white and red-tipped feathers. And, as an part of the costume, Sasha also held in her paw the indian toy ax.

Then there was eight-years-old and a bit chubby Frank named bunny boy. His favorite food were the carrots, which worked as his motivation to dress for every Halloween into the giant carrot costume when he went out to beg some candies.

And then the last one but not least ones…

Sis came out from the door carrying her sister Tagalong in her arms. Sis has dressed herself as the witch with the long hair and the long-skirted (and patched) black dress and she was also wearing the large witch's hat upon her head.

Sis had partially dressed herself as a pirate, just like James. But Tagalong had only the red pirate bandana, black pirate hat with the skull in middle of the crossed bones and the eye-patch over her right eye. Tagalong also had the mini-fake-parrot resting on her right shoulder and finally, she also had the pirate belt around of her waist.

And after the sisters and brothers, Skippy arrived at last. He had disguised himself as the police officer, which reminded Nick from the days when Judy showed her old pictures from the days when she was nine-years-old little bunny, wearing the police officer's costume and dreaming one day being a real police officer.

Skippy had also nearly lost his happiness for this night along with Nick, because not only being grounded for two months but being nearly forcefully taken to the hospital by her mother in the morning to check hiss left shoulder in case of his arm being broken or dislocated, despite Skippy protested during the whole trip to the hospital that it was just the scratch, nothing else bad... but Barbara, unconvinced and still disappointed to her son for the events of the last night, dismissed him and drove him to the hospital anyway.

Barbara was then fully convinced by the doctor in the hospital that Skippy had not suffered the serious injuries bust just couple of a surface scratches, and after having the wound cleaned and disinfected, the doctor tied the pandage over of Skippy's shoulder, with the warnings that his left shoulder might be a bit sore for two days.

However, both Nick and Skippy then agreed to keep the smiles on their faces in order to not to ruin the other childrens mood.

And after seeing Barbara's children in their costumes, Nick could not help but take out his phone and take the group picture from everyone with their costumes before leaving with them to beg for candy.

Nick a four couple group pictures with all the children together... and two of them of himself with Barbara's children in their home's garden.

Barbara herself was watching from the door as Nick was taking the group pictures of him and her children.

But while watching this, along with recalling the memories of the last nights harsh discussion between of him and Nick about that night's events, during of which Nick admitted his burning need of the partner but claimed that he was with the 100 % against the idea of bringing Skippy with him into the investigation of the case, knowing too well the risks and the dangers into which he may place Skippy during the investigation. And along with that, Nick had stubbornly denied Oates claims of him deliberately breaking her gift from his late mate... yet determinedly claimed that her that what happened to camera wasn't his fault in the first place, by claiming that he despises the intentional breach of other objects and that he would never break anybody else's property intentionally. Nick had also claimed that inside of that camera was the most important thing what he could have use as an evidence to clean Judy's name from the theft which she didn't commit nor wasn't in any way part of it. And because of that, he would have protected the camera as if it were the future of all mammalkind...

...and knowing that Nick was currently one of those foxes, who speaks the true words of honesty, despite all of that prejudice and racism targeted against the foxes, Barbara had started to slowly put his bitterness towards Nick for, as Oates claimed, intentionally breaking the camera given to her by her late mate, and and started to warm to him a bit through the day.

But right now, she was watching with the smile as Nick and her children prepared to leave for the candy trip.

"Alright, kids. Have fun... and remember, do not be out too long. Uncle Nick will make sure of that" Barbara said from the door.

And, after hearing that Uncle Nick was going along of them to watch them during of their trip, nearly all children moaned out of disappointment, as they saw many other children walking on the streets in their own groups without their parents, and they had to go with the fox - who happenes to be the officer - watching after all of them during the trip.

"C'mon, mom. We can beg the candy by ourselves." Trudy complained.

"Yeah! We do not need the guardian to watch after us. We can take care of ourself." Jake added.

Barbara then lifted her head up from her complaining children to look at Nick, asking for some support from him.

Nick nodded at her with the nod, before looking down at the kids with the smile on his faces.

"Don't worry kids. If you like to walk and beg for candy in your own personal group space, I can walk a some distance away from you, if it this sounds good to you." Nick said.

"but with the condition that you stay all together and under my sight. I guess that you all know the old saying from the times of the Stone Age...

... _All the World will be your enemy..._

...and the same saying goes even to today. You can never know what are the strangers intentions when you walk past of one of them. That's why you need someone to make sure that everything goes fine and keeps you all in safe… even if the one who watches you, happens to be your natural enemy. Am I clear?" Nick asked from the kids.

"Yes, uncle Nick!" The children said in unision as their cheering rushed to the streets… Nick walking right behind of them.

"Nick?" Nick heard Barbara calling his name as he was about to exit from the garden and walk after the kids.

Nick quickly turned to Barbara to see and hear that what she had to say to him before he leaves with her kids.

"I want you to stay in this neighborhood area, and I forbid you to go to the Downtown." Barbara said both sternly and determinedly.

"And I'll grant for you and my children to beg for candy... only for one or couple hours. And after that, I want you all to be home at eleven o'clock. Understood?"

Nick nodded as an agreement to barbara, before he turned around and rushed after the children to catch them before they manage to wander further away from him and disappear from his sight.

Barbara walked to the entrance of her yard to watch after Nick as he rushed after her kids... but he only managed to see the glance of Nick's tail disappearing behind of the corner of the bush fence... before it was completely out of the sight.

"Be careful." She whispered, before turning around and walking back towards the door of her house.

* * *

Hour or couple later.

As the children walked from the door to door begging for candies or making the tricks, Nick stood in the watch agains tthe nearby lamppost.

Nick's instincts told him that this may be a good time for Nermal to strike and try to ambush and hypnotize even more children to take their candies from them or brainwash them and make them to beg more candies for him… and not to mention about of kidnapping them when the eye avoid.

That's why Nick kept watching the areas every corner, hoping to catch the familiar-looking bad guy among the shadows while the kids were begging for candies.

And then, one by one, the children returned back to the meeting spot.

"An insane catch, I gotta say!" Danny shouted, holding the bag full of candies.

"I got my own bag full of sweets as well." Trudy shouted eagerly, as she showed to his brother her catch.

"Same here!" Charlie said, as he returned to the meeting spot with Frank, James and from their centaur-costume separated Tina and Nina.

All of them had their bags full of candies, but Tina and Nina happened to be the bigger bag than anyone else, due to being filled with so much of candies. And the bag's weight was in the level that they both had to carry their common bag together,

"Arrh! Yo ho ho and the buttle of rum! now we shall feast with this loot, shall we?!" James cheered, trying to sound like as like the real pirates, as he waved the toy pirate sword in his paw free paw.

"And so we shall, brother! If the others have got as much candies as we did, the sweets will last for the following month! Just like in the last Halloween Eve." Charlie said with the proud smile.

"Yeah! And... oh... well, maybe all expect for Frank. Do you remember what happened to him the last Halloween?" Tina and Nina asked from the others, turning to their brother Frank.

"Oh, yeah! That's very difficult one to forget. Frankie ate all his sweets at once the next day and then he get sick." Charlie said, before he then opened his mouth and pulled his finger into him mouth to playfully make the gagging noises - and acted like he was about to gag something out of his mouth - with sticking his tongue out of his mouth.

This got almost everyone in the presence to burst out of laughter, all except Frank.

"Hey!" Frank shouted, a bit emotionally offended of his own sibling making fun of him just because he started to feel ill after eating all of his candies in one night after the last Halloween.

Trudy, James and Danny were then the ones who managed to hold back their laugh.

"Alright guys, knock if off. Let's try to keep the mood between of us in the sunny side, shall we?" Trudy said.

It did not take long before the rest of the group, Tom, Jake, Glenn and Benn, Sasha, Sis, Tagalong and Skippy arrived back from their own trip to the meeting spot.

However, only Skippy and Sis had their own candy bags fully filled with the sweets, while Tom, Jake, Sasha, Glenn and Benn had their own candy bags half-filled

However, despite that and once they were all together, they all started to show to each others that what did they got.

"Wow, I got marmalade balls! Both carrot-shaped and orange ones and slad ball-shaped green ones. These are my favorites. They always makes me to imagine me eating sugar-tasting carrots and salad." Skippy exclaimed in pleasure.

"I got the fruit gummy candies that are shaped into the form of cockroaches!" Tom exclaimed.

"Well, look what did I got... the white eye-balls shaped marmelade-balls." Jake said, and took couple of the, out of his bag, before tossing them into his mouth in front of the others.

"Ewww! Gross!" The groups girls said with the disgusted tone.

"I got from my own trip the pumpkin-shaped chocolate balls, carrot-shaped fruit gummy candies, toffee cubes and ghost-shaped marshmallows. Not the bad catch, I have to say." Sasha said.

When Glenn and Benn arrived to the meeting spot, they instantly separated from their dragon costume to show their own catch.

"Wow, along with the candies, I got the cookies with the Chocolate Chip Cookies with the skull frosting. Along with the bag of the skull-shaped chocolate-covered raisins." Glenn said.

"And I got the brain-shaped and vampire's tooth-shaped candies. Check this out!" Benn said, as he placed one of the vampire's tooth-shaped candy into his mouth and under of his upper lip, keeping his mouth open to show his "vampire teeth" to the others.

"Benn... do you have to do that every Halloween?" Sasha asked from his brother, a bit disgusted of her brothers doings.

Sis also checked into her own bag, to find out that over than half of the contents of her bag was the Boogeybear Chocolate Bars.

"Is anyone willing to trade anything with the chocolate bars I got? I do not want to get fatten myself because the chocolate." Sis said to her siblings.

When all the siblings were together, it was time for Nick to step into the group to say something, what he had agreed with Barbara to say after hour or couple, despite that if her children's bags were either half or nearly completely filled of candies.

"Alright children. It's time to go home." Nick said.

They all turned to him the shocked expressions on their faces after what they heard.

"No way, Uncle Nick! Not yet! There's still many houses left and all the bags are not yet completely filled with candies." All over dozen bunnies shouted in unison.

"Soh, soh, little ones! Remember that the greed and lust for candies is the treacherous sickness, which is not good for your teeth and it can sometimes be a really bad consequences. Remember what I told you about the bad guy of who me and Skippy were hunting down the last night because of his unfortunate past when he fell under the lust and greed for candies." Nick said.

However, before anyone of the children could answer, the shocked and even frightened expressions appeared out of nowhere on each of the bunny child's faces as they watched behind of Nick.

Nick took a confused look on his face as he looked at the children.

"What is it? What's wrong? You look like you did saw the ghost." Nick said.

"Uhh... Uncle Nick…" Tagalong said with the frightened tone in Sis' arms.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Nick asked as he turned to Tagalong.

"Turn around, but veeeeeery slowly." Sis whispered.

Nick kept the confused expressions, but when he heard some snarling and growling behind of his back, he slowly turned around to see what - or who - was standing right behind of him.

There was a group of ten children, which ages ranged between five and fifteen ages!

The group was formed by six predators; such like three wolves, cougar and bear, and another five was the prey mammals like two antelopes, one teen hippo and two zebras. They all were looking at them with the dark look in their eyes targeted at Nick and the children.

The zebras among the group looked like those certain ones Nick believed that he had seen them before.

"What?! To-Tony and Bud?! The lost children of the zebra couple?!"

"What's wrong with them?" Sis asked with the frightened tone.

Nick took the careful look at the kids staring at them with the menacing looks...

...which was then when Nick noticed that their eyes were lifelessly greyed eyes just like Judy's own.

"Nermal and that watch!" Nick whispered, as he realized the truth behind the missing mammal children.

"I knew it! Nermal is behind of the kidnappings." Nick murmured.

As the group began to approach towards them threatingly, Nick quickly gathered the children behind of his back to protect them from these brainwashed hooligans.

"As police officer, I demand you to not come any closer! Do not make me to use hard extracts!" Nick warned the zombie-like kids.

However, the children didn't care of Nick's warnings...

...but instead, they attacked!

One of them hit Nick with the baseball bat's end to his head, knocking him down and aside... leaving then the bunny children defenseless.

The members of the group pushed with raw force each bunny over to the ground. Even brainwashed teenager hippo dared to punch Charlie with the fist in the face.

The wolves went for Frank, surrounding him from every three corner and created to their faces the hungry-looking expressions, with the wide and creepy grins on their lips and hanging their drooling tongues out... like they were intenting to eat Frank... causing from their lifeless eyes and hungry grins afraid Frank to retreat too hastily backwards that he fell on his back to the ground... and kept retreating by crawling backwards to get far away from the creepy brainwashed wolves.

The zebra kids turned their attention to Sis and Tagalong like the cowardly big boys bullying the weaker ones. Skippy attempted to defend his sisters by leapimg towards one of the zebras and delivered the double-kick with his legs to one of the zebras faces, knocking him over to the ground.

"Stay away from my sisters!" Skippy boldly said to the zebra, as she slowly rose back on his feet from the ground.

However, before Skippy managed to turn to remaining zebra, the zebra came to him first, and delivered with the raw force kick with his right leg's knee to Skippy's stomach and sent Skippy to fly against his sisters, knocking them all over to the ground.

And once the each bunny was knocked over to the ground, the each member of this gang picked the candy bags the bunnies had dropped to the ground - and some of the hooligans even tore the candy bags from the bunnies paws by force, before pushing them over to the ground.

And when they had all fifteen bags, the hooligans fled the scene... the candy bags in their paws.

"Our candies! They stole our candies!" Trudy shouted as she helped from the teenager hippo's hard punch tearful Charlie up from the ground with James.

"ARRH! COME BACK OR ELSE I'LL KEELHAUL ALL OF YOU!" James shouted after the hooligans, shaking his toy sword at them.

"YEAH! COME BACK OR MY WITCH SISTER TURNS YOU ALL INTO TOADS!" Glenn and Benn shouted after the hooligans.

"James, Glenn and Benn, this is serious! Playing pirate and all those _Hocus Pocus_ stuff is not useful!" Sasha said, berating her brothers.

"Uncle Nick! Do something!" Tina yelled as Nick slowly rose up from the ground, rubbing the sore spot in his head.

But once back on feet, Nick quickly realized what just happened and turned to the children.

"Listen to me, all of you! You run quickly back home, lock the door behind you once you get there and STAY THERE! I got this. Okay?" Nick said.

"Okay. You do not need to tell us twice." Sis said, earning the smile from Nick.

"Good! AND WATCH AFTER JUDY!" Nick added, as he quickly turned around and rushed after the escaping hooligans.

It was then, when Sis took command over the group and turned from Nick to her siblings.

"Okay, all of you! Follow me. Stay together and…" Sis started, until she saw Skippy sneaking out from the group and rushing after Nick.

"Skippy, come back! Skippy! Skippy!" Sis yelled after her little brother, but Skippy, ignoring his big sister, did not stop but kept running in Nick's tail and he quickly disappeared out of Sis' sight.

"We need to call the cops!"

* * *

Meanwhile...

Using his sense of smell, Nick tried to follow the hooligans tracks through of the streets.

But however, because of the dozens and dozens of together mixed animal scents, after fifteen minutes of chasing them, Nick eventually lost the hooligans tracks and he stopped from running, panting and snorting in annoyance that the hooligans got away...

...as did his chance to finally find the mastermind of all of this.

However, Nick soon noticed that there was few similiar groups of hooligans stealing from many other children or child groups their own candy pags by surprising them from behind the corners, threatening the children to hand over their bags or they took the bags roughly from them by force on their way.

Nick even spotted the couple of teen foxes snatching the candy bags from two into fairy and witch dressed little sheeps when they ran pass of them, leaving the little sheeps to cry for their lost candies.

And elsewhere, Nick even spotted the large group of brainwashed little rabbits to attack by force of numbers the rhinoceros parents like the flock of nasty and hungry piranhas, while the rest of them stole the candy bag from the rhino child's hands.

There was also the trio of goats, that rammed down with their heads the group of children, including one deer, one stoat one amur leopard and one spotted hyena, after which they took their dropped candy bags with them and rushed away.

And in the elsewhere, the trio of weasels stole from the another group of bunnies their lollipops, leaving the little rabbits behind to cry of their loss.

Nick then heard that someone was coming towards him from behind and turned away around to see that what was it.

However, Nick managed to see only the glance of towards him on the skateboards towards him incoming trio of mammals, one moose, one elephant and one bear, before the elephant skater swung his red candy bag, which was probably stolen, towards him, hitting straight to his faces, knocking him over to the ground.

"Whoopsie Foxie!" The elephant mockingly apologized, even in the brainwashed state, as he skated away with his buddies, mockingly laughing at Nik.

The strike from the mass of the bag was quite hard enough to send Nick's head to go dizzy, as he slowly rolled over on his stomach to the ground.

Nick them shook his head from the side to another to get his head more clear, as he rose up from the ground.

"Did I just recognized that voice? Jerry Gray?" Nick said to himself in his mind, starting to wonder that what that elephant jerk was doing out here, skating all around of the streets and stealing the candy bags from the other children, instead of lying on his bed in the home and locked int othe same motionless state just like Judy.

This also caused Nick to wonder with the concern that was even Judy somewhere in this neighborhood, having somehow escaped from Barbara's and started as well to steal the candy bags from the children to take them to Nermal wherever he was at the moment... and if so, then how did Nermal managed to command both Judy and Jerry Gray from the another end of the long distance between of them to steal the candies from the other children.

However, Nick put this though quickly, as he spotted the group of five wildebeest and the trio of spotted hyena children taking the candy bags from the lion cubs in the another side of the streets.

And filled with the sense of officer duty, Nick started to ran towards the group.

"Hey you! You young punks! Give them back what you have stole from them!" Nick shouted to the brainwashed wildebeests and hyenas.

Nick shouting caught the lion cubs and the brainwashed wildebeests and hyenas attention to turn their business to him.

However, seeing Nick coming straight towards them, the brainwashed wildebeests and hyenas ran off the scene, the lion cubs candy bags in their paws.

And while running to the another end of the street, Nick running right on their tail, the brainwashed group then spotted in front of them standing taxi car.

And without thinking and with the one goal in their mind, to loss Nick from their tail, the group rushed to the taxi car and stole it from the panda taxi driver, who was unsuspecting sitting in the driver's seat, reading a newspaper while waiting for the passengers.

The hooligans caught the panda driver off guard and out of surprise, as they opened the driver's seat's door and tore the panda driver out of the taxi, tossing him to the street and leaving him to both shout and shake his paw angrily after the hooligans when they loaded themselves in taxi and drove off.

Nick, knowing that he can't catch the hooligans by running after the taxi car, started quickly to look around of him. searching with his eyes for the car and its owners from nearby streets.

Until he found the red one and its owners. One grizzly bear mother with his young son disguised as cave-mammal.

"Um, Excuse me, Mistress." Nick said as he calmly approached the bears.

The mother bear turned to him and quickly too the sucpious expression on her face after seeing the fox approaching towards them.

"I hate to distub your peaceful night like this but, can I borrow your car for the moment. I…" Nick said, not willing to waste his time by explaining his reasons nor showing his officer badge, which would help nothing but only buy more time for the hooligans to get away from his reach.

"No way, fox! We have use for this car for tonight, and we have no time to argue with anyone about borrowing my car… especially with the ones like you, fox!." The mother bear said unkindly.

 _My typical luck, to cross paths with the mammal who still has the very bad taste about the foxes even after the Night Howler Incident._ Nick though.

"Come on, I definitely need the ride and I need it right now! If you live somewhere nearby in here, you and your kid can walk to there. To have a little exercise is never a bad idea." Nick said, trying to keep himself cool.

"Yes, we live this nearby… and no. Why to walk back to home when we have the car with which we can drive home instead of walking." Mother bear said.

"And now, go out of my sight, fox!" Mother bear rudely said.

" _Yeah, go out of my sight, fox!_ " The bear cub said, imitating his mother and shaking his toy cave-mammals club at Nick.

"Come on! I really need the car now!" Nick shouted out in frustration.

"And why, fox? What is this? Is this robbery or do you not have a car of your own and you want to take the car from someone else by force?! Or are you too poor to buy one for yourself, fox?" Mother bear growled.

"Who in here has talked about the robbering?! Nick asked with the loud tone of voice and out of the frustration.

"And yes, I have a car of my own, which unfortunately is not nearby right now, and that's why I have to get this car in borrow!" Nick shouted back.

Mother bear snorted in frustration.

"Ugh! You're wasting our time. Get lost, you filthy fox!" Mother bear roared and was about to open the car's door for his little one.

"Hey!" Nick shouted with serious officer tone, nearly lossing his cool because of this bear's prejudiced attitude towards him like she has never even heard about him.

"Don't you even know who I am? Aren't you even heard about me?"

"Of course I am, you're just one shifty and untrustworthy fox among the many others like you, who wants to trick the cars from the honest citizens with the false reasons and make money with them by selling them to others. Don't you even think about I have no experience about that, fox, and it's not gonna work this time. You will not touch with your finger at my car, nor harm its paint. Now, be gone before I call cops to take you away!"

Now, nearly losing his patience, Nick groaned out of frustration, realizing that maybe his police work's reputation has not spread to everyone's ears yet unlike Judy's own reputation... and that there was still those ones who still believed him as shifty and untrustworthy fox all around of the city.

Nick decided to use the more peaceful persuasion, even though this had already wasted alot of his time.

"Mistress… I know exactly what you think about my species because I've already faced the animals with the very same attitudes just like yours. But not all foxes are cunning and insidious like the other animals believe from us, calling all us foxes the most shifty and untrustworthy animals of Zootopia as if we deserve it. But even some of us are even the honest and friendly ones who just wants to be treated with the same value and justice as others. I'm not interested about shiftly stealing the cars from the others and making with them money by selling them to the other animals... and I ain't gonna steal this one from you. I just want to borrow it because I have really big hurry with some thing to which I need the car. Please, I can even pay for the time you will grant me to borrow it. I'll bring it back to you… with the fox's word of honor." Nick said out of purety of his heart and as calmly and honestly as he could.

The mother bear of course listened all of this from the beginning to the end, but she was still sucpious about Nick's honesty.

"Listen, fox. Even though I want to believe such of honest words... even though they come from the fox. I just can't you hear me?! I can't! I already fell into the such of lies coming from the honest-pretenting fox once. I did so once... and it cost me my car. And because of that, I'm not gonna do my mistake ever again." Mother Bear said stubbornly yet determinedly.

This mother bear was quite stubborn, indeed. But, in the sake of Judy's innocence and the chance to find Nermal and his hideaway, Nick wasn't about to give up.

"If you say and believe so, then why you then don't ask from me that "For what reason I have to borrow this car so bad?"" Nick said.

The mother bear snorted and growled in annoyance and turned to Nick for one last time to ask this question from Nick, albeit she did not even want to, still believing that Nick would in any minute trick her in some way.

"Alright then, but after then you leave us alone and not trouble us more by this, no matter whatever is your answer and that do I accept it or not!" Mother bear sternly demanded.

"With the fox's word of honor, I will not disturb you anymore after this." Nick promised with the honest-sounding tone.

The mother bear snorted suspiciously again.

"Okay, "For what reason you have to borrow my car so bad?"

Nick then lowered his gaze from the mother bear to the bear cub, who was standing behind of his mothers legs, holding his candy bag in the firm grib.

"Behind of you is the reason… and what he is carrying in his paw is the main reason... why?" Nick simply said.

The mother bear looked down at her little one and the bag what he was holding in his arm.

However, the mother bear's reaction was not what Nick did expect.

"YOU WANT MY CAR BECAUSE OF MY LITTLE ONE OR HIS CANDIES! WHAT IS THIS, FOX?! IS THIS SOMEKIND OF KIDNAP..." The mother bear roared angrily at Nick that it forced Nick to step several steps backwards...

...even though he raised his paws up and motioned with them the mother bear to calm down, so that he could explain that she understood wrong of what Nick meant in the first place about the bear cub and his candy bag.

However, before the mother bear could finish what she was about to say and before Nick was able to get the situation to calm down, the same group of animals, the same three wolves, cougar and bear, two antelopes, one teen hippo and two zebras Tony and Bud who robbed from Barbara's children their own candy bags and whose Nick was chasing and lost their tracks about half an hour ago, appeared out of nowhere and roughly pushed Nick, the bear mother and the bear cub to the ground... and one of them even stole the bear cub's bag of candies before running away with the others.

"My candies!" The bear cub cried.

The mother bear noticed this and angrily waved her into the massive fists squeezed paws after the hooligans.

"Come back with my little baby's candies you hooligans!" She bellowed, before she picked the her crying cub from the ground into her arm.

"Where are the cops when they're mostly needed?" The mother bear growled.

Then, the mother bear remembered the fox and quickly turned around to see that had the fox used this what just happened as an advantage to sneak to the car's driver's seat and drove off, but soon she realized that the fox had not moved anywhere from his place during of this cowardly attack from behind.

But this time, the fox was holding up the ZPD police officer badge with his paw.

"You wished the cops around, didn't you? Well, here's at least one. Officer Nicholas Piberius Wilde, ZPD, partner of Officer Judy Hopps and the Hero of the Night Howler Incident at your service, madam. Those little candy-thieving punks are my current case right now, so I need to borrow this car to follow them, find out where is their headquater and put an end to this robbery… that's my answer to your question." Nick said.

Mother bear was quite shocked after hearing this.

"Officer Wilde?" She whispered in shock.

"Yeah, that's me... in the flesh."

The feel of shock and guilt filled the mother bears face as she recognized to whom he had talked so rudely and with the prejudiced attitude, just because his last experience with his kind's dark side.

"Please, accept my apologizes, officer Wilde. I've heard about the Night Howler Incident that claimed my husband... and I've of course heard a lot about you and your partner, but I just happen to have a bad memory for faces of the people I don't know nor having met face to face before, which is why I didn't recognize you at first. It's the genealogy bug or something. But by the way, my son happens to be a big fan of you two." The mother bear said, now more kindly and apologetic tone.

"Ah, that's nice to hear." Nick said, waving his paw at the bear cup who, through of his tears, waved back.

Nick then took a couple of boogeybear chocolate bars out of his pocket and handed them to bear cub.

"Here. take them, little one. As an replacement for the ones you lost because of those brainwashed hooligans. It's not much, but they probably make you feel even a bit better." Nick said kindly.

The bear cub a biot hesitated of taking the bars from Nick, but he eventually took them gently from his paws.

"Thank you." The cub thanked, as he opened one of the bars and took the bite from it.

Giving the one last smile at the bear cub, Nick turned to his mother.

"And it's okay, madam. I don't take your prejudiced attitude towards me as an offense because I've already faced prejudiced treatment many times over before this." Nick said.

The mother bear nodded with the gentle smile, until he remebered those hooligans, who were right now in the other side of the road, rudely stealing from the lonely and on the bike moving cheetah girl her own candy bag before they fled to the alley, leaving behind the crying cheetah girl knocked over the ground.

"Because you said that you were on the case, which relates to right that cowardly act, can I ask from you another question?" Mother bear asked, to which Nick nodded as agreement.

"If you're after those thieving hooligans, then why are you standing here by talking to the old dumb bear with the super poor memory of faces as the young criminals ran free?! Go ahead! You can freely borrow my car!" Mother bear said handing over her cars keys.

"And go get them!" Little bear cub said encouragingly.

"With the pleasure!" Nick said and after taking the keys from the mother bear, he quickly jumped to the driver's seat.

But before he managed to start the car and drive away, the mother bear knocked the passenger's seat's door's window to get Nick's attention as he had yet something to say to Nick.

Hoping that it will not last long, Nick opened the passenger's seat's door's window to hear the mother bear out.

"Here. Take my phone number so you can notify me when you return my car and my car's keys to me... and take also my home home address so that you can find the way to my home, after you have finished your need with my car... just try not to damage it, okay?" Mother bear said and gave to Nick the piece of paper, where was written along with the mother bear's phone number...

"Honey tree's road 18. in the Wilderness Districk. Thanks."

Nick then started the car's engine and drove away from the scene... leaving the bears behind.

It did not take long from Nick to find the same group, recognizing them from the wolf trio, antelope duo, hippo teenager and zebra twins. They were all at the very moment loading the candy bags to the stolen car, after which they loaded themselves into the car and drove away.

Thanking his luck that the brainwashed hooligans haven't saw him coming, Nick took out the lights so that he can follow them undetectedly in the darkness and quickly drove after them.

During the chase, Nick took out his phone and made the call to Oates, although he had developed the deep hatred towards this Detective-Horse-Butt from the last night's events.

And it did not took long from Oates to answer to his call.

"Oates? Hello? It's officer Nick Wilde. Sorry if I call you this time of night but I got a new information. There's a groups of hypnotized children, teenagers and less than ten years old ones, all around of this neighborhood stealing the candies from the other children and…"

Nick was quickly interrupted by Oates, much to his annoyance.

"Actually, officer Wilde, I already know." Oates responded in the another side of the line.

Nick was caught by surprise after hearing this.

"What?! You do?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Yes, they also stole the candy bag from my own daughter right in the front of my home's door." Oates said.

Nick got the proof of this because he heard through of the phone call the five- or four-years-old child crying loudly in the other side of the line.

"And I have to say that… you were right all of time." Oates added.

"I tried to seize one of these punks when I saw them trying to get away with my daughter's candy bag, but once I touched one of them, he felt cold like he was dead. His skin was quite pale and he moaned like the midnless aimless animal! And not mention about the eyes when I saw their lifelessly greyed eyes with one glance! All of that made them to look and act like they were undead istead of living ones." Oates said.

Nick was even more surprised to hear that from Oates mouth.

 _So, does that big old sourpuss detective-horse-butt believes me now when he witnessed his own daughter being robbed by the brainwashed kids with the lifelessy greyed eyes like they're zombies. Well, it was about time for him to believe me, but its too late for him to make things from the last night undone._ Nick thought.

This one motivated Nick to play joke to Oates as an payback for his earlier claim of Judy having drunk herself into drunk out of feel of guilty.

"Undead? What undead? There's no undead walking in the streets, my dear detective Oates... except the children dressed into ghosts, vampires, mummies and zombies, that's all. You've probably watched too much zombie films and got traumas from them, that you've starting to imagine the undead everywhere, do you? But if you want me to believe you, then shoot one of those undeads of yours into the head and bring the corpse for me to be seen." Nick said, giggling a bit to his little joke.

Nick heard well Oates snorting out of annoyance in the other side of the line.

"Enough of playing jokes, officer Wilde! You knew about this, then why didn't you tell me anything of this." Oates asked with the annoyed tone.

"Oooooh, but I did... twice... but there was once upon the time one big stubborn old sourpuss horse-butt, that dismissed and labelled my reports and all the sensible answers to the questions as an nonsense and deliberately destroyed all of my clues and evidences - including Barbara's camera, which was the gift for her from her late mate, with the major evidence - of the mastermind of this crime wave and who even managed to make chief Bogo to see me as an "Black Sheep" in ZPD forces and made him to give to me the parking duty for two months. If you really want to know that who is the mastermind of this nonsense, call the this old sourpuss horse-butt called with the name Detective Oates from ZPD and give him as an punishment for his actions the fierce horse-kick to his big butt!" Nick humorously said, bursting into the laughter after this.

Nick also heard through the phone call that Oates snorted even louder out of annoyance.

"ENOUGH OF MAKING FUN OF ME, WILDE!" Oates shouted through the phone.

"A small payback for the last night's events." Nick said, justifying his words.

"But you're right. ENOUGH of this and back to the case! I'm at the moment driving with the honestly borrowed car in the West Road and heading towards the city's Western Exit, chasing the group of ten brainwashed children who just stole the candies from several children and the car... and they just drove out of the city to the meadowlands in the south. They're seemingly heading to the the countryside, where there is little houses. I'll call you back when I know the exact location and street address." Nick reported.

"Roger that, Wilde, I'm on my way." Oates responded.

"But... in exchange for information of the mastermind's hideaway... I want you to apologize for your actions from the last night. Oh, yeah! I definitely want you to apologize in front of me, Skippy and Barbara for your actions in the last night and for breaking that camers like you're begging for mercy or bowing to us... begging for mercy on your knees in front of us... or on your stomach in the ground in our feet like the miserable begging beggar... bowing to us subserviently on your knees like bowing to the kings... even kissing our feets... and I also want you to buy a new camera... Zootopia's most expensive camera... to Barbara as an replacement for one you destroyed the last night. Deal?" Nick listed...

...using Oates well-known ambitiousness as his advantage to bargain with him, having heard from the fellow officers that Oates' ambitiousness is the reason why Oates involves himself into every case... in order to get fame and glory for his detective work, whuch is what Judy and he unwillingly got for making to Zootopia its history's greatest service by solving the Night Howler Plague with the risk of their lives.

"Officer Wilde! You're not in the position ot bargain with me! Besides, I already told you, no more making fun of me behind of my back... or in the another side of the line, far away from my reach, and inform to me immediately that where those hooligans are heading!" Oates demanded with the annoyed tone.

"Sure... just say the word "deal" and I'll give the information of the mastermind's location to you once I find it, otherwise no deal with that information-of-the-location-part. And I know that I'm not in the position to bargain with you, but I happen to have soon in my possession the information of the mastermind's location and then a full right, probably with the massive evidences once I get to the destination, to arrest the offender and bring him in front of the justice... and I bet that you know what that does mean to your own efforts to solve this case." Nick said slyly, knowing that Oates couldn't refuse from the opportunity to get what he wants, fame and glory... to which he gets soon the chance to kiss goodbye.

Nick heard through the phone call Oates mumbling out of clear frustration... telling to Nick that Oates was extremely reluctand to give up to the fox demands and suffer the complete humiliation because of it, but his own ambitiousness seemed to get slowly best of his own pride.

And so...

"UGH! Fine, officer Wilde... we have a deal but just this once!" Oates said outraged as he finally gave up to Nick's demands in sake of the fame and glory.

"With the paw/hoof-shaking once we both reach to the mastermind's hideway, okay?" Nick asked with the demanding and sly tone, much to Oates annoyance.

"Whatever... just find that blasted mastermind's location and let me know about it once you've found it." Oates said, before he angrily quint the phone call with Wilde.

And once the phone call had ended, Nick put his phone back to his pocked and shook his head.

"He won't do those things, that's sure. Not even after the paw/hoof-shake as the sign of agreement." Nick said to himself, knowing that Oates was only doing this for the fame and glory rather than to surround himself to the demands coming from the fox.

"Well, let's be more honest than that big detective-horse-butt and let's fulfill my own part of the bargain." Nick added and continued driving after the hooligans.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	10. Chapter 10

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 10**

 **FINAL STRUGGLE**

An hour later...

The chase had yielded results for our fox officer.

Following the brainwashed children, Nick discovered the small house in middle of the fenced area and which was standing next to the large swimming pool.

Parking his borrowed car to somewhere in the cover of the darkness of night and at a safe distance from the house, Nick remained to sit in the car while eyeing the house, in the garden of which soon arrived the same brainwashed children who had robbed the candies from Barbara's children and from that bear cub before the whole chase.

They parked their own car in front of the houseand then came all out of the vehicle, they then unloaded the candy bags out of the car and rushed towards the house, disappearing through of the open door inside of the house.

"This might be the place where you're hiding, Nermal." Nick said as he exited from the car to find the signs of this address, so that he would be able to make the call to both chief Bogo - if he was even happy mood tonight - and another to detective Oates and wait for backup.

Lucky for him, chief was during of the phone call a bit in the good mood - but he did not undone his decicion to put Nick in the parking duty for two months - and after being informed about the candy thefts and the hideout of the brainwashed children, Bogo immediately sent the backup to this address.

But much to his surprise, when he made his another call for detective Oates, the detective-horse-butt was already on his way to the countryside... even though he demanded Nick to reveal to him his location and the street address of the place so that he could find his way to there.

Less and half an hour...

...Oates eventually arrived to the scene and parked his vehicle next to Nick's borrowed car.

Nick couldn't help but giggle after having one glance of Oates Halloween costume, which included gray heart-shaped wig and blood-red dress. In it, Oates looked exactly like Cinderella's wicked stepmother... much to Nick's amusement and to Oates' annoyance that the fox was giggling at him behind of his back.

However, Nick managed to hold his giggling back, as he laid his focus on the mission... as he and Oates entered to the fenced area through of its gates.

"The brainwashed children drove right over there. And if I guess right, Nermal must be here too with the enslaved army of children and the massive loot of candies." Nick reported as they walked straight towards the house.

"How dare they to rob anything from my daughter!" Nermal snorted in anger.

They quickly reached in front of the house and with the police-raid style they entered inside of the house.

And from the vestibule, they quickly found their way to the living room, from where they instantly found the massive piles of candies and the stolen candy bags, small group of brainwashed chidlren, who were now standing in still like the mindless statues with the stolen candy bags in their paws and hooves… and himself Nermal Midas Wolf from sitting in the green armchair, eating the candies from the pile in front of the chair.

Nermal turned to Nick and Oates and his from the sweets enjoying expression turned int othe shock after he realized that the cops had just discovered his the secred hideout!

"It's Nermal Midas Wolf, Oates. It's him! He's the one who's behind of the candy shop robbers and the children kidnappings... including exploitation of children and the framing Judy for his dirty crimes!" Nick barked, pointing with the blaming finger at Nermal.

"You're under arrest for felony robbery, kidnappings and child abuse, you whackback!" Oates exclaimed as he lifted up his red dress' skirts with his hooved hands and rushed towards Nermal with the handcuffs.

However, Nermal had another ace on his sleeve

"Dr. Nermal does not like the surprises… and more less unwanted guests!" Nermal said and took out the hypnotism watch and began to swung it from the side to another before of Oates' and Nick's eyes.

Nick, knowing too well that what will happen if falls under of the power of that watch, quickly backed off and covered his eyes.

However, Oates wasn't so lucky. With the watch's swirling content and hypnotising embrace, Nermal got Oates immediately under of hypnosis and under his control.

After that, Oates arms fell limp and his mouth dropped down as his eyes turned into the lifeless greyed and also he started to moan like the empty shell... just like the children in the room

Outraged Nermal then noticed that Nick wasn't caught by his hypnotism watch.

However, it doesn't matter to him. At least he had caught the bigger one under of his control.

 _This is going to be fun._ Nermal though.

"Now horsie, make you master, DR. NERMAL, the bick favor. Go in the primitive state AND KICK THAT FOX OUT FROM HIS MISERY!"

Suddenly, after hearing Nermal's command...

...Oates quickly turned to Nick's direction.

...Oates started to snort quite aggressively and yet his mouth started to foam, as he turned to Nick's direction.

Nick looked at the horse detective, and saw, much to his shock, that he too had the lifelessly greyed eyes like with the rest of Nermal's slaves.

"Uh, oh!" Nick mumbled, as he remembered what kind of command Nermal had just given to the brainwashed detective horse, as he stared at Nick, baring his horse-teeth out of uncontrollable rage, as he started to snort quite aggressive and yet his mouth started to foam out of newfound fury.

Oates then let out the loud horse-like bellow out of his mouth like the primitive horse that has been stung by the bee, and Oates proceed by taking off and tossing aside his wig and ripping his red dress into the shreds, making him (animalistic) naked in front of Nick... with the exception of his heart boxers.

"Oh my gosh! Good that Judy is not right here right now to see this. She would have not liked this." Nick said to himself...

...although the sight of Oates animalistically naked somehow did not bother him like it bothered Judy.

Because in fact, long before meeting Judy and becoming cop, Nick had sometimes paid the visits in Yax the yak's The Mystic Spring Oasis to claim one flat rock to relax and enjoy from the stone's warmth of the stone's surface warmned by the sun's beams. And because of that enjoyment, which is the major reason for Nick to visit in the Mystic Spring Oasis, Nick didn't care about the rest pof the animals who romp all over the place animastically naked and do what they want...

...but Nick's eyes nearly intantly caught the glance of Oates' heart boxers, which nearly made him to giggle once again.

However, Nick quickly remembered that he was in the very serious situation and focused on his and Oates - well, currently just his - Mission.

And then, Oates then charged towards Nick, squeezed his hoof-fingered hand into the firm fist and swung it towards Nick, totally taking the fox out of surprise.

Albeit shocked and surprised of this sudden attack, Nick managed only out of pure luck to dodge couple swing of fists by bowing down out of the way of the first one and then leaning backwards to avoid the next one...

...until the third one and really fiery one, which was coming from down to upwards beneath of Nick as he leaned to forward to maintain his balance on his feet, struck him to his stomach with the brutal strength and sent him to fly through the room's air space and fly roughly against the wall in the another side of the room...

...and after landing roughly against the wall, Nick fell down and landed onto the large pile of candies, making his landing even a bit softer.

And as Nick slowly climbed back on his feet, though he remained in his bowing position and hold from his stomach, panting and groaning in pain from Oates' painful punch against his stomach, Nick lifted his head up and looked at Oates, only to see that the brainwashed and into the rampage fallen detective rushed towards him with the full horse pace...

...in the attempt to ram with his muscular shoulder to Nick and crush him between of his massive mass of horse muscles and the wall.

Nick had no time to leap out of the way before Oates stumbled into him with the brutal strength and the horse's heavy mass, which caused the small portion of the wall around of Nick to sink inside the wall.

The impact and getting nearly squeezed in between of the horse's muscles mass and the wall, Nick fell physically complete limp and fell onto the very same candy pile onto which he had landed earlier...

...and Nick's current nearly crushed physical state allowed brainwashed Oates to grab from his limp body and toss it against the another side of the room, causing Nick to fly roughly against the wall and land on his head to the floor.

And then, Oates charged once again towards Nick's limp, out of pain groaning and heavily panting form... and this time, Oates leaped on his arms to the floor and turned around, in an attempt to deliver the good old one horse-kick, aiming his legs hooves ahead in attempt to crush Nick between of them and the wall.

He almost managed to kill Nick by this, if Nick had not recovered from the previous beatings and in nick of time dodged Oates legs hooves and rolled out of his kick's way. And because of this, Oates' stone-hard kick against the wall surprisingly created the large hole in the wall.

Nick knew that he has not physically match against the larger and stronger horse.

So, using his fox insticts, Nick tried use his sly fox-mind, his cunningness and his speed against the brutal strength of large horse... by running down with all his fours and dodging Oates stone-hard kicks and his fists swings.

Nick even lunged onto Oates and started to climb around of his upper body like somekind of squirrel climbing around of the tree's trunk, to send the horse into the confusion as he tried to follow the fox going with his eyes and even attempted to hit him with his fists.

Nick even outsmarted him once by climbing past of his faces, to which Oates reacted by pulling his both fists backwards and then he swung them in the archs/hooks forwards and then from down to upwards and towards Nick hanging on his faces.

And once Nick saw them coming with the arms full speed, Nick dodged the double-stike in time, that as an result Oates own fists to en up to double-punch his own faces, knocking him backwards that it caused him to lose his balance and his feet from beneath of his weight, that caused him to fall on his back to the floor.

"Stop punching yourself, horse-butt!" Nick humorously said, after witnessing this whole thing from aside.

However, Nick turned into the dead-serious again when Oates glimbed back up from the floor and attacked again.

And even though he was physically weaker than Oates, Nick tried to fight back quickly moving between of his feet to make him tripple himself or beat him with the kicks what Judy usually and almost always sucessefully used against the big criminals, targeting them to Oates' head to make him briefly confused.

However, his kicks had not as much effect as Judy's kicks.

But despite this, Nick desperatelly used one by one all his skills he had learned about the combat fight trainings during of his time of training in the Zootopia Police Academy the following half an hour against brainwashed horse.

However, his attempts had a less than enough effect for the larger animal, whose stone-hard fists and hooves were powerful enough to smash the walls of the room like the sledge hammers.

"Woah! Is it just about the house or where he has learned to smash down the walls?! In the Chinese Jade Palace's Kung Fu school?!" Nick asked from himself as he kept avoiding and barely dodging Oates' every stone-hard strike.

It was all what he was now on able to do against Oates.

"Right now, I don't know which one is much worse! Being chased by the savage jaguar or being pummeled by the brainwashed horse!" Nick said to himself, comparing the moment of being chased by the savage jaguar to this moment.

Nick kept avoiding Oates attacks for the next following fifteen minutes, in the end of which Oates managed to corner Nick in one of the room's corners.

As a smaller and faster animal than Oates, Nick tried to escape from through of the large gaps in the Oates each side and between of his legs.

However, when Nick tried to once again run out from Oates' reach, Oates, better prepared for this move this time, reached out towards Nick and managed to grab from his tail and started to smash him from his tail against the room's walls and roughly against the floors.

And finally, Oates tossed Nick roughly against the floor like the limp rag doll, leaving Nick to roll weakly and heavily panting in the ground and groan out of pain, as he felt the pain everywhere, from the tip of his ears to his toes after being whacked against the floor and walls... whilke brainwashed Oates walked in next to him.

Nick was now at the mercy of Oates.

Then, Oates kneeled down over Nick and started to mercilessly constantly beat up Nick's faces with his massive and stone-hard fists, leaving Nick's faces covered by the bruises and blood from his nose and lips... along with one of his eyes blackened from one of the hard punches.

Nermal watched this from aside, sitting in his green armchaior while smirking as the fox officer got beaten up by the brainwashed horse.

And, while everybody's attentions (except the brainwashed kids) were locked to the brainwashed detective horse and for his life struggling fox officer...

...a small white-furred bunny in the police officer costume appeared from behind the living room's doorway's corner.

It was Skippy!

When Nick had left after a candy thieves after they stole the candies from Barbara's children, Skippy - feeling the very same sense of duty (even though he wasn't the police officer) and motivated by his dream of being the cop and willing to help Nick yet again - had sneaked away from rest of his family and ran after Nick.

And, when Nick was in his talking situation with the mother bear, Nick had secretly loaded himself in the mother bear's car as a stowaway before Nick had managed to borrow it from the mother bear and drove off... managing to ravel secretly in the car's 'til here.

And now after he peeked from behind of the corner to see what was in the living room, he saw the living room being flooding with candies along with the massive mountains of the cadies... definitely the candy-loving mammals place of dream.

But, much to his horror, Skippy saw Uncle Nick being pinned and brutally beaten by somebody with the heart boxers, who then grabbed from Nick's shirt and forcefully lifted Nick's bruised, limp and beaten body up from the floor into the air like the limp rag doll.

And that "somebody" was none else than Detective-Horse-Butt Oates.

"Pathetic show, fox! You're beaten before you even managed to catch Dr. Nermal again and you cannot even fight back!" Nermal laughed viciously and triumphantly from aside of this.

Skippy wasn't able to do anything else than watch how Uncle Nick was going to be beaten to death by brainwashed horse, who was much more bigger and brutally stronger than what he himself was.

Until Skippy's attention was suddenly caught by something in the living room, and eyeing those things - which happened to be the hole in the living room's ceiling and the ceiling lamp hanging a small distance away from it - for a moment and quickly thinking for a moment, he then quickly disappeared from the door's corner and ran up the stairs to the upstair.

Oates took the firm look at Nermal, waiting for orders from him for the beaten fox.

"Finish him!" Nermal said.

Snorting loudly, Oates pinned Nick against the wall and was about to deliver the final and possibly skull-breaking punch at Nick's faces, that his skull would break between the horse's brutal fist and the wall, until…

"COWABUNGA!" Skippy let out the loud cry as he surprisingly to Nermal, Oates and Nick swung himself from the hole in the living room's ceiling hanging from the ceiling map towards Oates.

After Skippy had sneaked into the upstairs and reached to the large hole in the ceiling of the living room, Skippy had peeked down to the living room to see that where Nick and brainwashed Oates were at the moment struggling with each others.

And after Skippy had noticed from there Oates pinning Nick against the wall and preparing to punch him again, Skippy had quickly searched the room where he was at the moment to find something useful and... after fifteen seconds he actually found one.

Walking stick with the curved handle!

Skippy then took the stick and carefully and silently lowered its hook-like handle towards the ceiling lamp to grap to it and pull it to him, while trying to maintain his balance as he was quite close of the edge and at the risk of to fall through of the hole and land quite painully against the living room's floor... and not mention about that the walking stick happened to be disigned for the larger animals and not the bunny-sized animals, which length and weight caused a bit more troubles for Skippy in his attempt to reach to the ceiling lamp.

However, after several failed attempt due to the problems with the walking stick's weight, the distance between opf him and the lamp and the troubles with the balance, Skippy eventually managed to reach to the lamp and pulled it with the walking stick to him...

...and thanked his luck that none of those children enslaved by Nermal weren't yet back in their normal self to spot what he was doing and warn Nermal about it. Even Nermal did not seem to be interested of through of the hole in the ceiling disappeared ceiling lamp due to his attention being locked into the unbalanced fight between of Nick and brainwashed Oates.

And when Oates was about to make his final fatal strike against Nick, Skippy had aimed his flying route towards them and had then made his surprise move.

After swinging himself thrugh the air space of the living room, Skippy then let go off the lamp and flew the rest of the distance towards Oates, landing sucessefully onto Oates head and grabbed from both of his ears and leaned himself backwards.

Brainwashed Oates let out the another horse-like bellow out of pain whuch he felt in his ears and released Nick from his grip, as the weight above of his head that pulled him backwards, was nearly causing him to fall over on his back to the ground.

"NOBODY MESSES WITH UNCLE NICK, DETECTIVE HORSE-BUTT" Skippy shouted, as he got the humorous idea to beat Oatis.

Skippy started to pull Oates left ear to forwards and his right ear to backwards, until he turned the left ear's course to the right and the right ear's course to the left, causing Oates to turn to the right. And after that, Skippy pulled both Oates ears brieafly backwards before he then pulled them to forward and leaned himself to forward too to give extra weight on Oates head to make him to lean, and run, forward.

And with that trick, Skippy managed to successfully make Oates to run with his head ahead towards the wall of the room. And once they were close to impact, Skippy quickly moved away from Oates head and slidded back behind on his neck, slightly pulling Oates ears upwards so that he would run into the wall his face ahead.

This was soon followed by the impact of of Oates faces/forehead against the wall, causing Oates to let out the loud whinny out of pain.

Yeah, that was what Skippy did with Oates for following twenty minutes.

Skippy kept hammering Oates stone-hard faces and forehead agains tthe living room's wall by pulling both of his ears to backwards, giving to this some extra weight by leaning himself backwards to make Oates to lean backwards and step several steps backwards to maintain his balance and then pulled both of his ears to forward, leaning himself forward as well on Oates head to make him once again to run his forehead and faces ahead against the wall.

And Skippy kept pulling Oates ears, and leaning on, to forward and then backwards, then again forward and backwards, again, forward and backwards, then yet again forward and backwards, forward and backwards, forward and backwards, forward and backwards and so on... directing him to walk backwards to gain space and speed and then run with his forehead and faces ahead into against the wall over again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again and again.

"Stop hitting yourself to the wall! Stop hitting yourself to the wall! Stop hitting yourself to the wall! Stop hitting yourself to the wall!" Skippy said humorously after each round.

During of Skippy directing Oates to hit his head against the walls, Oates tried to reach to him with his hooves to remove the rabbit from him, but Skippy quickly avoided this by pulling his ears to one direction onto which he also leaned with all his weight, making the brainwashed Oates to struggle to maintain his balance, which Skippy used as his advantage to make him to get closer of the wall...

...and once in next to the wall, Skippy pulled alternately and quickly Oates ears three times forward and backwards, making Oates to hit his head against the wall for three times, leaving a quite dent in the wall.

"And now, to the baddie himself!" Skippy said, as he pulled Oates away from the wall, turned him around and made to rush his head ahead towards Nermal himself.

But in middle of the whole charge, brainwashed Oates finally fought back the pain he felt in his ears and suddenly halted his charge in middle of the living room, surprising Skippy so unexpectedly that he lost his balance on Oates head, slipped and fell over the brainwashed hoprse's left shoulder.

However, Oates spotted him and cut Skippy's fall by grabbing him from his ears, but almost instantly he lifted Skippy above of his head from the white-furred bunny's ears and then roughly threw him against the floor. Skippy landed in the process on his sore shoulder as he roughly landed in the floor that he cried in pain from the impact.

This left Skippy to roll in the ground while holding from his sore and burning shoulder with his paw.

It was then when brainwashed Oates then lifted his right hooved leg up and above of Skippy, before he landed it onto Skippy's stomach.

Nermal kept watching this, with the sadistic smirk on his faces.

"Finish off the rabbit, my puppet." He whispered, loud enough for brainwashed Oates to hear it.

And with that, Oates started to press his hooved leg down, to kill Skippy in between of the living room's floor and his hooved leg and his full weight.

Skippy tried to fight back, but tiny little bunny had no changes against the horse's brutal strength and his all weight above of the hooved leg on his stomach.

Being brutally pinned and then pressed with all the brainwashed horse's weight against the ground caused Skippy slowly to cough heavily, loudly groaning out of pein as brainwashed horse added more weight onto his leg on the skippy's stomach.

Oates even pushed his leg down with all his weight for a couple times, forcefully pushing nearly all air out of Skippy, as he let out the throaty gasps out of his mouth.

Killing the bunny like this seemed to be so easy for the bigger and stronger detective mammal.

And during of his desperate and apparently useless struggle, Skippy turned to Nick, who was partially dizzy from brainwashed Oates' brutal beating on him and was at the moment lying on his stomach in the feet of the wall, and he even tried to reach to Nick with his paw.

"U-uncle… N-N-Nick!" Skippy groaned in pain under of Oates leg ansd weight.

Slowly snapping out of his dizziness from the brutal beating he received from brainwashed Oates, Nick slowly climbed from the ground up on his knees and rubbed with his paw some of the still sore places on his body...

...but, while waking up from his dizziness, he overheard Nermal saying darkly and quite sadistically behind of his back the words...

...which he had, much to his shock, heard once before back in the Natural History Museum!

"Bye bye, bunny."

This caused Nick to turn around to look into the direction, where he saw Oates leaning with all his weight on his right leg while aiming his menacing yet sadistic (due to him being brainwashed, look downwards...

...and following his look down, Nick found out that Oates was pressing his hooved right leg on Skippy!

The sight of Skippy being mercilessly crushed against the floor and under of Oates hooved leg and brutal weight... caused Nick to completely snap out of his dizziness!

"NOOOO!" Nick let out the loud bark out of rage and quickly jumped on his feet and started quickly to form the plan to rescue Skippy, even though he had no idea that how Skippy had ended here in the first place.

Thinking quickly, Nick backed off from the wall to gain room and speed.

And once he started to ran towards the wall, Nick took so much speed as possible into his legs and jumped on his feet to the wall.

And briefly fighting against the laws of gravity, Nick ran along the wall upwards like the ninjas in the ninja turtles films he had watched with Skippy, until he was up enough to bocunce from the wall and flew through the air towards Skippy and the brainwashed horse.

Nick made the somersault in the air to turn himself to fly towards Oates with his legs ahead!

"YO! HORSE-BUTT!" Nick called, managing to drag brainwashed Oates' attention from Skippy to him.

However, despite Oates attention was fully locked at Nick, Nick managed to take Oates out of surprise by the hard double kick straight to his faces, causing Oates to lean from the power of the kick's impact against his faces to backwards, that Oates bounced on his feet from the ground and spreaded his hands around to maintain his balance...

...including removing his hooved leg off from Skippy, leaving the poor white-furred bunny to lie in the ground, slightly rolling and moaning in great pain, and started pant heavily for the air after the heavy weight was removed from him.

Nick landed on his feet to the floor, in the defensive stance in front of Skippy, faster than what Oates managed to maintain his balance.

Nick's kick had also managed to make Oates to turn around to maintain his balance much better.

Now when his back was turned to Nick and Skippy and before the brainwashed horse managed to turn around to face Nick again...

...Nick rushed towards Oates and lunged towards him, delivering the very similiar hard double-kick onto his back, which caused oates to lean too sharply forward that he completely losing his balance once again and fell his head ahead towards the large cabinet without the doors, which shelves were full-loaded with from the children on this night stolen bags of sweets.

However, Oates only fell on his knees right in the front of the cabinet, rather than rammed himself against of it.

Having got an idea from this, motivated by Skippy's earlier trick on brainwashed horse, Nick rushed again towards Oates as he was climbing back on his feet in front of the cabinet.

And after the the brainwashed horse had gotten up on his feet and before he managed to turn around to face Nick, Nick had already reached to him and climbed on the top of his head, standing on his shoulders.

And then, Nick grabbed from both of Oates ears and pulling them painfully upwards and leaning himself backwards, making Oates to let out another horse-like bellow as he leaned against backwards and started once again to struggle to maintain his balance.

And then, after reaching to the end of the perfect distance between of Oates and the shelf, Nick pulled Oates ears and leaned to forward to make Oates to run to forwards, with his head ahead, and towards the cabinet once again.

And this time, Nick managed to get Oates to fall forward and fly towards the cabinet, hitting his forehead into one of the shelves, that roughly knocked him on his back to the ground, leaving the nasty black bruise into his forehead.

And with that, having jumped off Oates head to upwards before he knocked himself partially out, Nick jumped on the top of the cabinet and placed his paws against the wall while taking the firm supportive grip with the claws of his feet from the top of the cabinet...

...and started to push the cabinet off the wall and towards/downwards his bruised forehead rubbing and on his back in the ground lying Oates.

"Sorry about this… "sir."" Nick said with the sly grin on his lips as the cabinet bent too sharply to forward, until it finally fell freely down over Oates!

When the brainwashed horse realized this, he found it to be too late to escape from beneath of the falling cabined, before the cabinet completely landed with all its weight over him, knocking him unconscious and burying him under the mountain of candies and the weight of the cabinet, making the brainwashed horse to harmless from now on.

And after Oates was beaten, Nick turned with his concerned expression to Skippy.

"Skippy!" Nick shouted as he jumped off from the cabinet and rushed to Skippy's side.

Skippy was still lying on his back in the ground panting and coughing heavily to catch some breath and holding from his stomach with his paws.

As Nick reached to him, he carefully placed his paws beneath of Skippy's body and varefully lifted him up from the ground to sit.

"Easy, easy! Breath easy." Nick said comfortingly and encouragingly to Skippy, staying in the side of the white-furred rabbit and determined to stay so long in his side so long until he's able to cathc his breath.

However...

"NOOOOOOOO!" Nick heard Nermal howling in anger from aside.

He had witnessed from the very beginning of Nick's successful act to defeat his newfound slave, which had left the mad wolf into speechless, unbelief, distraughted and outrage!

Hiw loud howling also caught Nick's attention as he turned around and angrily growling he stared at Nermal, as he at the same time helped Skippy off the ground and back on his feets.

"You'll both pay for this!" Distraughted Nermal barked at the duo and lunged at them the watch in his paws.

"Uncle Nermal is now very, very, very ANGRY!" He kept barking.

"Oh yeah?!" Nick barked back at the wolf as he started to walk towards Nermal.

And when Nermal was hanging the hypnotize watch in his paw and in its hypnotism position in order to hypnotize Nick as his newfound slave...

"I'll show you how angry Uncle Nick can be towards those maniacs, who dare to treat my friend… MY FAMILY… LIKE THIS!" Nick barked angrily as he lunged towards Nermal, at first dodging his watch and its hypnotizing power by leaping and making the somersault forward and landing on his back to the front of Nermal's feet and beneath of his watch.

During of his landing on his back to the ground in front of Nermal's feet, Nick coiled his legs before he straightened them as he delivered his hard double-kick to the wolf's stomach, sending him to fall backwards, before Nick quickly rolled on his feet and lunged upwards, punching in the process under of Nermal's chin with his fist.

"That was for framing Judy Hopps for the robbery... and the kick was for calling her with the C-word!" Nick barked.

Nick the nheard the rushing stepts coming towards him and Nermal behind of him, to which he reacted by leaning backwards and landing on his back to the ground.

And then, this was followed by Skippy's, who had now even partially recovered, appeared out of nowhere and leaped on the bottom of Nick's upwards lifted legs.

And as Skippy prepared to bounce from them, Nick straightened his legs by force to forward, sending Skippy to fly straight towards Nermal, who was panting heavily in the end of the distance between of him and them and still recovering from Nick's strikes to his stomach and under of his chin.

Skippy made the somersault in the air, turning his legs ahead as he was about to smash into his faces, delivering with his legs two kicks straight to Nermal's sight!

"And that's for stealing our candies!" Skippy shouted as he bounced from Nermal's faces and landed next of Nick.

Skippy's kick had caused Nermal to turn around that while trying to maintain his balance, and now he had completely turned his back to Nick and Skippy.

And now when Nermal was rubbing his faces with his paws, with his back turned to the hero duo, Nick decided to fulfil his last threat towards Nermal when he and Skippy were chasing him the last night and took out his taser gun, turning it on and aiming it's electric darts towards his butt.

"And this is for all of your crimes against the law and justice before and during of Halloween eve!" Nick declared and fired.

The electric darts hit Nermal straight into his butt, from which the mad wolf let out the loud yelp in pain as the electric darts stinged his butt and the electric spread through of his entire body, paralyzing him temporarily.

It took a bit less fifteen seconds before the darts had done their task and Nermal was left completely paralyzed.

And once parallyzed by the darts that were still hanging on his butt, Nermal's limp body shook slightly to the left and right, before he eventually fell on his back over the mountain of candies, shocked with the darts into unconscious...

...and finally captured.

"There! Maybe your insanely overgrown lust for the sweets hell out from that." Nick said.

Nick then turned to Skippy standing next to him, and before they both could say anything, they both lunged at each others into a friendly hug.

"Uncle Nick… my hero, my friend." Skippy whispered into Nick's ear and he hugged him firmly, not wanting to let go of his hero... not just yet.

"Oh, Skippy…" Nick whispered into Skippy's own ears as he hugged back as well.

And then, when they finally broke up from the hug, Nick's from Skippy's well-being and good contidion deeply relieved expression turned out of nowhere in front of Skippy faces into berating look.

"Skippy, what in earth you are doing here? I ordered you to go back to your home with your brothers and sisters!" Nick said with the scolding tone.

"Uncle Nikc, I…" Skippy tried to explain until he was interrupted by Nick.

"Do you understand that you almost got yourself killed?" Nick said sternly.

"I know, but you as well nearly got yourself to killed, may I remind you of that?!" Skippy said sharply.

Skippy's sharp tone caught Nick off guard.

"I knew the risks all too well... as I knew the risks and the dangers I may face in the last time when I went with you solve this case, against the rules of that stupid agreement you made with that Detective-Horse-Butt about of aunt Judy. I knew what could happen if I secretly sneak away to hunt down Nermal with you. I knew the risks, but I came nonetheless, you wanted it or not, uncle Nick. I know that you may not wanted me with you wen you came after Nermal's brainwashed minions, but only because you wanted me to be in safe from harm, I get it, but I came after you because all what I wanted was to help you with your case and end this mess for good to help at the same time aunt Judy in her troubles… as your little buddy partner for now when aunt Judy is temporarily forbidden from this stuff. To help you in your problems that are also my problems. That's what are friends for, or what, uncle Nick?" Skippy said.

Nick went quite speechless after Skippy's emotional speech.

The fox officer felt a little ashamed and guilt for being a seconds ago a bit harsh to the bunny like Skippy.

Mostly, his a long ago since the incident with the junior scouts formed life moto, "Never let them see they get to you," is sometimes effective against the racism and the prejudice from the bigger prey mammals that reacts to the foxes with suspicion and hatred and to get his way in everything... but maybe his life moto had also some weak spots for the little prey mammals, such like bunnies, to break through of his mental defensive walls and see his true self.

This little white-furred buddy was just like his adorable rabbit partner, by her personality, for his age.

"Alright, you got to me. Junior Officer Skippy Speedleg. Well done, officer, and thanks." Nick said with the gentle smile.

Nick and Skippy lunged at each other to lock themselves into another emotional and deep hug like the real uncle and nephew, despite not being the blood relatives and despite the differences between of their species.

"Happy Halloween, Skippy." Nick whispered to Skippy's ear.

"Happy Halloween, Uncle Nick." Skippy whispered back.

Then they broke up from the hug and stared both at the mindlessly standing group of children.

"But what to do with these "zombie-children," after we captured the baddie and found the massive evidences to finally prove Judy's innocence?" Skippy asked.

Nick then stood up on his feet and walked to the watch, that was lying in the ground after Nermal had dropped it from his paws during the fight with him.

Nick picked it up into his paw and then looked at Skippy.

"At first, we must tie Nermal up. And then, Now we have to find out, how to wake up these poor kids from Nermal's hypnotize. There must be the some kind of cancellation program of hypnotism in this watch. At least I hope that there is such of thing." Nick said.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	11. Chapter 11

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 11**

 **AFTERWARDS**

Soon, the cavalry in the form of ZPD backup, which Nick had called earlier after discovering Nermal's hideout and which was led by chief Bogo and officer Higgins, arrived in the form of over dozen police cruisers with the red-blue lights and sirens as they stormed into the garden and surrounded the whole Nermal's home.

And so arrived to the scene also Barbara and all her children, with the exception of Skippy, after Nick had made the phone call to Barbara after the baddies had been captured. And frst of all, Nick had informed to Barbara, who had been sick from the worry after her children told her that Skippy went after Nick after he went after the hooligans that stole their candies, that Skippy was with him and safe and sound.

And, Nick had also asked them to bring Judy with them to the address he gave to Barbara, claiming that he kind of knew the solution how to help Judy out of her zombie-like motionless and aimless state.

And with the knowledge and route Nick gave to Barbara, Barbara's family reached to the scene a shortly before the ZPD backup.

Despite the protest of the police officers, who were uncertain about the fact that arrest would be successful without armed resistance from the bad guys, Barbara and her children, carrying Judy's limp statue-like form inside the house.

And once they arrived to the house's living room, the children went into the shock, with their eyes widened into wide and their jaws dropped open, after seeing the mountains of the candies and the dozens and dozens of candy bags all around of the living room.

Barbara, however, cared less about the sweets around of her...

...but after she caught the sigle glance of Nick and Skippy, she rushed towards Skippy and pulled Skippy into the really tight bear hug.

"Skippy! I'm so glad you're safe." Barbara said as she wrapped her arms tightly around of Skippy and squeezed the little white-furred bunny against her, before Barbara began to give him the several kisses into his forehead... much to the bunny's embarrassment!

"Mo'oom! Not in the front of the others!" Skippy complaint with the embarrassed tone, as he heard with the help of his sensitive sense of hearing his sisters and brothers giggling behind of his mother's back at him.

"Such of pity that we do not have a camera anymore. We would have had a good picture of this." Sis said mischievously, to which she and all her sisters giggled heartily, much to Skippy's annoyance.

"Lucky for you, Sis, that we do not have!" Skippy said, as he gave to her sisters the long dark scowl over his mother's left shoulder.

Then, Barbara broke up the hug with Skippy, but she still held Skippy firmly in his arms... much to the Skippy's embarrassment, because he didn't like at all of being carried like this like some kind of baby.

Barbara then turned his look and attention at Nick, only to be shocked to see Nick's face full of bruises and contusions, the circumference of one of his eyes was black and his usual clothes were tore apart. Also the kids were shocked to see Uncle Nick in the physical state like this.

"By my ears! What happened to you, Nick?" Barbara asked.

"At first, though it might not look like it... I'm okay. And secondly, I got... uh... "fight"... with Detective Oates, that's all." Nick simply said with his usual sly yet tired grin on his lips.

Then, chief Bogo and officer Higgins stormed into the living room with over dozen another cops as if it were a siege of a top-dangerous criminal's house.

However, the cops halt their charge instantly at the sight of all of this in the one room: Nick's beaten-like appearance, Barbara's family, Judy Hopps lying like the lifeless and motionless statue on the ground, all these mountains and the stolen bags of sweets, the large group of motionless and like statues standing children, one of Oates hooves showing up from under the pile of candies and the fallen cabinet, Nermal's unconscious body lying on the floor stunned and with the electric darts on his butt next to Nick and the watch in Nick's paw.

"Officer Wilde, I demand the full and reasonable explonation for all of this!" Bogo said with his old usual grumpy voice.

Nick gladly began to explain to chief everything what had just happened tonight, since the brainwashed kids stole the bags of sweets from Barbara's children and after Nick rushed after them, unaware of that Skippy went after him as well.

Nick told to Bogo everything about the children that had gone missing on the night when the crime in the Shopping Paradise happened, and whom were then showed up out of nowhere, albeit brainwashed, into the streets of all around of Barbara's neighborhood to steal the bags of candies from the other children... as well as some cars to escape with their loots.

Nick also mentioned himself borrowing honestly the car from the mother bear on his way, after he lost the tracks of the brainwashed children whom he was chasing after they stole Barbara's children's candies, until he found them again - or they in fact ran into him - and after taking Mother Bear's car, he followed them to here.

Nick also mentioned about his brutal brawl with Detective Oates, who was caught by the watch's hypnotizing power, the same watch he was holding in his paws at the moment, and that Oates was brainwashed by Nermal to launch the brutal attack upon him, and his and unexpectedly arrived Skippy's final combat against the Nermal himself.

And... with the pleasure... Nick also started to explain something what Oates "deliberately" left mentioned to Bogo in the last night back in with the wooden fence sealed entrance of the alley.

Showing to Bogo Nermal's watch, Nick explained that the watch was somehow the true reason of Judy's and the kids current state as a zombie-like motionless and aimless statues... and firmly compared Oates the last night's claim of Judy - "having drunk herself into drunk out of feel of quilty" - to her and the children's state.

By Bogo's demands to prove his claim, Nick lifted the watch up and started to swing it from side to side in front of the officers McHorn, Fangmeyer and Worfard, who by chief's orders agreed to act like quinea pigs for so-called hypnosis watch that Nick swung in front of them.

Of course, as an officers and as an adults, they didn't take Nick's explonations seriously, even though they as a fellow predators did not held any racism against Nick... especially not after having underestimated both him and Judy greatly during of the Missing Mammal case and Night Howler Incident.

Each one of those three predator officers stared at from side to side in front of their eyes swinging watch for a five minutes and nothing did happen...

...until the watch started in their eyes and ears to send from its screen's center, and beyond the borders of its center, the deeply humming waves, as the watch's hypnotizing power started to take over of their minds.

And it did not took long before the watch's hypnotizing power emptied their minds, that they limbs went to limp and fell to hang from their shoulders, as well as their their lower jaws fell to hang from their mouths- The fur in their faces (skin in Mchorn's case) turned into gray-pale and their eyes turned lifelessly gray.

And they also started to let out the moaning zombie-like sounds like they had not brains at all in their heads... but were just the empty shells.

And with that, their legs went limp and they all fell one by one onto the ground, remaining in the positions like they were while standing.

"See? They're all now like Judy and the kids." Nick exclaimed, after the officers had fell over to the ground and after he had stopped swinging the watch...

...though he was a bit surprised that those three fellow officers fell under the spell so quickly, and it took more than half of the day from Judy to fall completely under of the hypnosis spell.

Nermal had probably turned the watch's hypnosis into a higher level pust his victims under of the watch's hypnosis spell faster... especially at the Halloween Eve with the steets full of for candy begging children.

"And if it is drinking herself into drunk out of the feel of guilty and shame that caused Judy into such of state like this... including those kids, some of whom are far too young to drink any such drinks like alcohol... then how did those three ended up to go into the similiar state without any drop of alcohol, huh?"

And to make the explonation even perfect, Nick explained to chief Bogo the suspect's childhood love for the sweets as well as his emotional sufferings from the humiliating prank he experienced as the clown in the circus in front of the crowd of children, which worked as his motivations for Nermal's criminal activity.

Nick then changed the subject from the watch and it's affects to the rockets, with whom Oates had claimed him and Skippy to be playing with carelessly in the alley.

Nick honestly confessed that he had indeed used the firecrackers on that night, but that he had found them at first in Skippy's possession - much to Barbara's shock and disappointment over her son, who nervously tried afterwards to act innocent - on the night when Skippy went with him to hunt down Nermal the last night, but Nick also explained that after having a single glance to the firecrackers in Skippy's possession, he had confiscated them from him immediately... and later used them back in tha talley while chasing Nermal but only to cut off Nermal's escape, albeit without avail.

And then, the much sweeter one, which Nick immediately needed to tell to Barbara and chief Bogo.

Nick revealed to Barbara, along with Skippy, the true colors of the incident that happened to her late husband's for her donated camera... which definitely wasn't like Oates had claimed to happen.

Each Barbara's children took one by one the angry scowl - including Barbara - at Oates as the police officers Francine, Jackson (african lion), Bob Johnson (tiger) and Andersen (polar bear) were helping Oates out from beneath of the sweets and cabinet, as Nick explained that it was Oates, not Nick, who deliberately and ignoring the camera's owner broke the camera in the first place and had placed the blame upon Nick and Skippy for "accidentally or deliberately" breaking the camera...

...and Nick also told to Barbara that because he had recorded to that very same camera something to him extremely important evidences of Nermal's criminal activity to prove Judy's innocence against the charges against her for the crime in the Shopping Paradise - of which Judy didn't commit, to which she wasn't involved to it and didn't even remembered anything of it, due to the side effects from Nermal's watch's hypnosis - Nick would have protected the camera like it was the only thing to save the whole animal kingdom from the massive extinction...

...until all of it with hard work and sweat gained evidence, along with the clues, were destroyed by Oates... only because of breaking Oates some stupid rules in their agreement with him by bringing Skippy with him in the case.

And with that, Skippy immediately confessed to all of them that Nick wasn't at all intenting to take him with him to solve the case the last night but he took him with in the case anyway, because of him volunteering himself into the case and convincing to Nick of himself being useful partner in the case instead of burden, of whom he had to keep an eye on all the time.

After hearing this, Bogo promised to compensate all this and his harsh behavior the last night to Nick and Skippy, by changing the parking tudy he gave to Nick for the two following months after Halloween Eve into patrol driving and have a serious discussion with Oates for the lying into the face of the chief of ZPD and deliberately sabotaging the police officer's investigation.

"Now there's only one problem… how to wake Judy and all these zombie-kids from this state?" Nick said, gesturing with his paw the children.

Bogo reacted to this question by walking in the next of like statue standing and motionless teenager rhino and six-seven years old tiger cub and clicked his hooved fingers in front of their faces for a couple times.

However, it had no affect to them. The kids were still under the Nermal's hypnosis spell.

"Isn't it the clicking fingers the usual way to wake them up?" Bogo asked from Nick.

"Yes, it is usually. Dr. Madge has already tried that very same thing to snap them out of the hypnosis but without avail." Nick said.

"Besides... this kind of hypnosis isn't made by the eye contact but by this watch what I'm holding in my paws right now. And as I already told and showed you, this is the very same crime instrument which was used to frame Judy for the candy theft back in the Shopping Paradise… and to kidnap all of these poor children to do Nermal's own dirty works for him. So I believe that with the watch we can somehow to wake these children." Nick guessed.

Bogo rubbed tbe back of his head, confused about this.

"So, how you're gonna wake them up with that thing, Wilde?" Bogo asked.

Nick lowered his look down at the watch, and rubbed his neck as he wondered the watch.

"Honestly said, chief, I don't know. I've never before gotten in the trouble with hypnotism instruments, especially with the such ones, which effects in their victims can't be undone by clicking the fingers in front of their faces. If Nermal would be awake right now, he would tell us how to do that." Nick said and kept checking the watch completely for the several times… finding nothing, which would be useful to wake the children and Judy up from their hypnosis.

"Nermal's father, the ringmaster of the Halloween Town's Circus named Zeke Midas Wolf, told me something about this watch, that is has the somekind of ability to empty the target's mind as the main affect of the hypnosis and wipe out the memories as the sometines happening side affect, making the victims like for orders waiting robots, or something like that, and make them to do whatever they're told to do." Nick said his eyes locket at the watch in order to find something to cancel the hypnosis.

"Or brainless, motionless and aimless zombies... like what they are at the moment." Skippy added.

"Yes, although Zeke did not mention anything about that." Nick said nodding to Skippy.

"Well, did this Zeke explained to you two that how to undone this hypnosis upon of officer Hopps and these children instead of clicking fingers, Wilde?" Chief asked.

"Well, chief. Zeke at least said that there's in the to of the watch the button, pressing from which the watch's hypnotism stage goes on and off. Zeke also told me that he usually wakes those ones under of the hypnosis by clapping his paws together... but do not even try it if the clicking the fingers in front of their faces didn't help, because I've susch of feeling that clapping the paws doesn't help as well.

"What makes you think that, Wilde?" Chief asked with a bit impatient and for answers demanding tone of voice.

"Well, Zeke may have said that there's the button in top of the watch, and this one has not such of thing. So, it is possible that this is either different kind of watch or then Nermal has probably made to this watch some improvements, plus removed the button from top of the watch, in order to enhance hypnosis to make it more effective to the victim. He has probably enhanced the hypnosis of the watch to the level of hypnosis what is impossible to be cancel with the usual ways to wake the victim up from the hypnosis… and, who knows, perhaps he has made from the affect of the hypnosis even a permanent." Nick said...

...though after saying this, and much to his horror of thinking the possibility that poor Judy remains permanently into her current statue- or zombie-like aimless and motionless state under of which she was right now, he hoped that he himself was either kidding of what he just said, or that he guessed wrong, but mostly he hoped that he was completely wrong.

"WHAT?!" Both Bogo, Barbara and Skippy's said loudly.

Shocked of the possible fate of these poor children and her childhood friend Judy, Barbara raised her paws over her mouth as she looked at Judy lying motionlessly on her back in the floor and all those motionless and like statues standing children in the room.

Most of the Barbara's children were also shocked of this and the cops - except of Mchorn, Fangmeyer and Wolfard - felt themselves desperated after learning that it might be possible that without the way to solve this... Hopps and children, including their three fellow officers, were doomed to remain in this state permanently.

However, for Judy's and the children's sake, Nick was unwilling to give up so easily.

"Give me a ten-fifteen minutes to find something useful." Nick said and started to check the watch harder with his eyes to find even something useful to help Judy and the children.

But even after ten-fifteen minutes, he was unsuccessful to find anything useful from the watch.

"Blasted… there's nothing what would be used to cancel the hypnosis!" Nick said with the fustrated tone.

It was then when Skippy jumped off from her mother's amrs and walked to Nick.

"Wait, uncle Nick, let me try." Skippy asked, catching Nick's attention by pulling him from his shirt's sleeve and surprising quickly taking the watch from Nick's paws to his own paws, before Nick was able to say... "I can do this myself, Skippy."

Because of the danger of being caught by the hypnosis, Nick had kept the watch's flap closed after he confiscated it fron Nermal and after he proved his claims about the watch and its affects and consequences by hypnotizing Mchorn, Fangmeyer and Wolfard, so that he would not fall under the hypnosis by himself.

But Skippy, watching away from the watch to avoid being hypnotized by the watch, opened its flab, which showed to everyone in the room that the whole thing is locked to ON all of time, meaning that anyone who looks into the watch, will fall under the hypnosis and remain in that state, like Judy, the kids and three officers…

…probably so long as the watch itself was alive.

"My mother sometimes berates me for accidentally breaking stuff back in the home… such like saucers, cups, flower vases and once even an aquarium… but I've never before broke anyone's watch… neither deliberately nor accidentally. My mother always reminds me of that from intentional infringement entails a minor punishments, such as house arrest. Well, let's see if I get again house arrest for breaking something deliberately and for good purpose." Skippy said to everyone as he lifted his from the watch holding paw above of his head.

"Skippy wait!" Both Nick and Barbara said as they realized that what Skippy was about to do...

...Nick because they would probably need the watch as an evidence against Nermal in the trial. And Barbara because she has multiple times and sternly forbid her son from breaking anything either deliberately and accidentally.

Well, it was too late.

Skippy threw the watch against the wall so hard as he could.

And as the watch collided against the wall, the impact against the wall from the hard flight over the air caused the watch to broke into the pieces.

And after that, the deep silence fell upon the entire living room, as all in the presence remained silently to wait the consequences of this.

Nick breathed calmly while hoping for best that breaking the watch had even some good affects, while Skippy held his breath, waiting for what will happen after he broke the watch... as well prepared himself to feel a pretty stupid for throwing the watch against the wall with no affect to Nermal's victims, as well as preparing to be sternly berated by his mother and to face the house arrest for the next month.

Suddenly, the silence was broken and the air space of the living room was filled by the dozens and dozens of sleepily moaning and yawning sounds like from the deep slumber awaking army of children.

This wasn't a new for Nick, because he had heard that very same thing while visiting and staying overnight in Judy's family's house, where is over couple hundreds of baby, childrenm teen, young adult and full-grown bunnies all around.

However, the moaning and yawning sounds came in the forms of unbunny-like snorting and growling, which came from the direction of hypnotized group of children and everybody in the room turned their attentions towards them.

The kids had nearky all fell on their knees to the floor, shaking their heads from side to side and rubbing their eyes with their paws as if they had indeed just woke up from the deep slumber.

And the same thing happened with Mchorn, Fangmeyer and Delgato, as they too slowly get up from the ground on their knees, yawning sleepily, shaking their heads and rubbed their eyes with their paws/hands... and murmuring something "What just happened?" "Oh dear, did I just fell asleep?" and "I don't remember staying awake to the late the last night, then why did I felt myself so tired?" as all three of them bounced up on their feets... elbeit still sleepily struggling on their feet.

And, by Bogo's orders, the police officers quickly rushed to help the children while Bogo ordered officers Higgins and Delgato to pick up Nermal from the ground and put him into the pawcuffs and take him out of his sight, as the children sleepily opened one by one their eyes to see themselves being helped on their feet by the batallion of police officers...

...and when the children sleepily looked all around of them, each one of them started to ask from the helpful officers three question.

"Where am I?"

"What's going on?"

"And how did I end up to be here?"

The officers didn't answer to their questions, they only began to calm down the children and suggested them to rest to gather their strength back instead, telling to them that they'll explain everything later... or that certain fox officer, who was the one who found them in the first place, would explain everything to them later.

And then, suddenly Nick heard behind of him in his ears very familiar voice moaning and yawning sleepily, much to Nick's delight, as the fox with the relieved smile and look in his faces turned to the direction where Judy was still lying on her back in the ground...

...to see Judy slowly getting up from the ground to sit, sleepily shaking her head twice and rubbing her eyes with her tiny paws, before she finally opened her normal beautiful amestist eyes.

"What's going on? Where I am?" Judy asked sleepily and in confusion, as she saw herself sitting in the middle of the strange living room filled with the candies.

"Hey! This isn't barbara's house's guest room... far less Barbara's living room. What is this place and how did I end up to be here?"

And, it was then when Judy heard loudly behind of her back...

"JUDY!" All Barbara's children, including Skippy, shouted in unision after witnessing their aunt Judy being released from the grip of Nermal's hypnosis and awaking back in her old self... and after that, Barbara's children started to rush towards Judy like the tsunami of little rabbits, though their own tsunami wasn't nothing compared to ten times much bigger bunny tsunami in Judy's family.

But, before Barbara's children's on tsunami collided to her...

"CARROTS!" Nick barked out of pure happines to see his beloved and adorable partner back and rushed before the rabbit tsunami to her partner's side and wrapped his arms around of Judy's small form into a really tight hug.

Judy, although she was still confused about the stituation around of her and surprised of Nick's embrance, immediately but temporarily let go of her confusion and suprised look on her faces, closed her eyes and wrapped her own arms around of Nick, returning to the fox's warm hug.

And then, reunited fox-and-bunny duo was within the seconds burried alive under of the tsunami of Barbara's children, who immediately surrounded both of them or jumped onto them and immediately embranced against both of Nick and Judy from every corner.

Barbara remained aside of this emotional embrance between of her children and Judy and Nick, but the sight of full of happiness before of her very own eyes as a result of her son Skippy breaking that dreadful watch against the wall and breaking the hypnosis upon Judy couldn't make her even more proud of her son.

And then, still having the bunnies attached into them like Judy's stuffed plush bunnies, Judy and Nick broke from their warm embrace.

Nick couldn't help but lift his left hand's in the level with Judy's right cheek and gently rub the backside of her fingers against of Judy's cheek, making Judy a bit blush but widely smile from the enjoyment of her fox partner's gentle touch.

"I'm glad to have you back with your own self, Fluff. Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Nick asked sweetly.

"Tired, confused, a bit dizzy and a bit uncomfortable because of the headache from some spot of my head… plus a bit hungry, Nick." Judy said, as she lifted her left paw up onto her left temple and rubbed from it, complaining a bit for the fiery headache.

Nick then lifted his own paw up and landed it onto Judy's head, starting slightly ran his paw behind of Judy's head and down of behind of her head hanging ears, as well as he slightly blew to the spot from where Judy had rubbed with her paw, making Judy to let out the purr out of pleasure.

"There, there. Easy. Carrots. It is all right." Nick said, calming the confused bunny, as he kept rubbing his paw doen of Judy'ss head and ears, making him to purr even louder out of pleasure.

"O'OOOOOOOOOOHHH!" Barbara's childrens said in unision, as they witnessed Judy letting out the happy purring sounds each time Nick ran his paw gently along her head and ears...

...which Judy noticed too well, and felt herself a bit awkward of being touched like that by Nick while being surrounded by all Barbara's children, who stared with the happy grins and wided eyes at the close and emotional moment between of unusual friends and - in their case - ex-natural enemies.

"Uh, Nick... (purr)... you know that we... (purr)... that we aren't yet dating, or... (purr)... or that this place isn't... (purr)... isn't a perfect place for... (purr) for this, so what if... (purr)... so, what if you kindly... (purr)... kindly stop doing... (purr)... doing that, if you... (purr)... if you please?" Judy asked between of her deep purring and out of slight embarrassment, especially in front of Barbara's children around of them.

...though a bit reluctantly, because she somewhat enjoyed Nick's gentle touch on her.

"You just complained about the slight headache and dizziness. I'm just trying to get you to feel more comfortable, Fluff. Is the rejection of my help and bringing some comfort for you your way to thank me, Cotton tail?" Nick asked.

Judy let out the widely smiling snort out from Nick's question, as she kept looking into his emeral eyes.

"Sly fox." She mumbled.

Judy then looked once again around of her, seeing herself yet again in middle of the strange house's living room full of mountains and the bags of sweets, several ZPD officers and the dozens of mammal children in addition of Barbara's family... and yet Judy saw officers Francine, Jackson, Bob Johnson and Andersen helping a bit bruised Oates out from beneath of the mountain of sweets and the overturned cabinet while Higgins and Delgato were holding with their firm officer-grip from the street clown magician-looking wolf in the pawcuffsand standing a bit dizzy in middle of them.

Nick also looked back to Nick and a bit gasped in shock about Nick's physical state, which she had not noticed except now.

"uh, Nick? What has happened to you? No offense, but you look pretty awful." Judy asked with the slight concern from Nick.

However, before Nick was capable to answer to that, the concerned expression on Judy's face turned immediately into the confused and for some answers impatiently demanding expression on her face.

"And could anyone be so kind to explain to me that where the heckwe are? Can somebody please explain to me that how did we all ended up in here... who's that street-clown-magician over there in the pawcubs and with Higgins and Delgato? Why is Nick looking so awful? From where did all of these children and candies came from? AND THAT WHAT THE SWEET CHEESE'N CRACKERS IS GOING ON IN HERE AT ALL?!" Judy exclaimed from the mammals around of her with the impatient and some answers demanding tone.

"Wow, easy, easy, easy, easy, Fluff. Take it easy. All will be explained." Nick said, calming Judy a bit down.

* * *

Most of the remaining of the Halloween night, Nick explained to Judy everything, what had happened since Barbara's children had found her from the guest room in the zombie-like empty shell-like state to the final events of the whole case within this very same house, including listing everything what he, along with Skippy as his a new and temporary bunny parter, went through, along with some the investigation complicating adversities due to the agreement between of him and Oates, to solve this case and desperately prove her innocence to the candy theft in the Shopping Paradise from the paws of the street-clown-magician called with the name Nermal...

...during of which, the officers by Bogo's orders searched the whole house and the whole area through in case of any other children gone missing, kidnapped and locked in here somewhere, and in case of something suspecting, what will be used as an evidence against Fermal in the trial.

And during of the search, the officers found out the yard's empty swimming pool being full of to the bottom of the swimming pool trapped children, for whom the officers went to look for the ladders to heklp them out from the pool, due to Nermal having removed the pool's own ladders to prevent the children from escaping from there... in case if anyone of them snaps out from the hypnosis...

...while the kids started to load the candies to the bags. And so did even Barbara's children, despite the fact that all of this stuff was stolen from the candy shops and from the other children.

The officers loaded the most of the sealed bags of candies into the boxes and, with the help of the children, loaded the boxes into the police cruises to use them as a part of the evidences against Nermal in the trial... including the damaged watch, that Skippy broke, whuch was recovered in a plastic bag as part of the evidences.

It didn't took for long before the another cavalry in the form of the news broadcast arrived to the scene, and all the news reporters were eagerly and impatiently waiting for the information from the chief Bogo and officer Wilde.

As Wilde was waiting his turn to be interviewed by the news broadcast after chief Bogo, Nick was keeping to Judy the company from aside, with the Barbara's children and all other children.

When Higgins and Delgato were bringing cuffed Nermal out of the house, they were immediately surrounded by the news reporters with their cameras, as they recorded into their cameras Nermal being taken away towards the waiting police van by Higgins and Delgato, who rejected the reporters that the arrested suspect will not answer to the questions but just in the trail he's going to face for the thefts, kidnappings and exploitation of children.

And as the trio were passing Judy, Nick, Barbara, all Barbara's children and all the rest of the children, they all together created on their faces the dark and venomous scowls targeted at Nermal, after to all of them had been explained by Nick that what Nermal had done to them and for what he had forced them to do without them being even aware of that... including Nick revealing to Judy that Nermal was the one who ambushed her with the C-word from behind in the entrance of the alley near of the Shopping Paradise before Nermal casted her under of his hypnotic spell... as the wolf was taken away towards the police van.

"The next candy day does not come quite so soon, Nermal. But don't worry, you will not starve in the prison, where you will receive the prison's good and healthy vegetable diet food every day while counting the brick heads." Nick taunted Nermal, making the children all around of him to to burst into hearty laughter.

Nermal turned for the last time at Nick and snarled angrily at him, before he was forced to move on by Higgins and Delgato.

"Indeed, Wilde. But first, this gourmet needs to pay the visit in the dentist before he gets a one-way ticket to the prison." Higgins declared.

After hearing the word "dentist", Nermal's ears jumped upwards and he started to fiercely struggle against the officers grip to get away, only to provoke ore officers to come to hold him down.

"OH, NO! NONONONONONO! NOT THE DENTIST! NOT TO THE DENTIST! DR. NERMAL HATES THE DENTISTS" DR. NERMAL HATES THE DENTIST! DENTIST IS BAD! BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, VERY BAD FOR THE THEET! Nermal loudly complained as the officers finally managed to place him the police van, where Nermal still kept barking out of desperation and rampaging by whacking and kicking the back doors of the van in order to escape and avoid having to go to a dentist.

"Look at him... he behaves like a poorly raised child." Barbara said with the disgust.

"Hopefully they will take him after a visit in the dentist to a mental hospital among other crazy mammals." Nick added, as Higgins and Delgato entered into the police van cabin and drove away, Nermal with them.

"And I hope that this was the very last time we'll hear about him." Nick added, as he followed with his eyes the departing police van until it completely disappeared to the horizon and behind of the woods.

And after the van was gone, Judy suddenly leaned against of Nick's right side, and she even nuzzled her head against Nick's side, much to Nick's surprise.

Because after learning that what Nick and Skippy had went through during of solving the case for her sake, Judy was greatly and deeply grateful to Nick and Skippy for working so hard to prove her innocence in the eyes of the public.

"Thanks Nick, for everything what you have done for me." Judy thanked sweetly as she kept nuzzling Nick's side.

And as an response, Nick wrapped his right arm around of Judy and pulled her closer of him.

"Ahem... did you forgot someone, aunt Judy?" They both heard some one clearing his throat with a bit offended tone, which caught both of their attentions to it.

Both Judy and Nick looked down, and saw Skippy standing next to them, with his arms crossed, his right leg was thumping rapidly and that he was staring both of Judy and Nick with an offended... for the reason that Judy thanked only Nick, though he himself was with Nick solving this case and catching the bad guys when Judy was unable to do so due to the effects of hypnosis from Nermal's watch.

Both Judy and Nick turned to look at each others dumbfounded, before they bith created into their faces the sly smiles.

And after that, they both turned back to Skippy.

Nick released udy from his hold and unexpectedly to Judy but yet gently pushed her forward with his paws from her back towards Skippy, to which Judy reacted by turning to Nick and giving to him a bit frown yet still grinning look, with her left eyebrown lifted up, before she turned back to Skippy and kneeled down in front of the white-furred bunny kitten.

"And thanks to you too, Skippy, for keeping an eye on Nick and watching my place as Nick's partner while I was... well, you kow." Judy said, as he landed her paw onto Skippy's head, between of his ears, and rubbed from it with the congratulating attitude.

"Okay, okay, okay! You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome! Just stop that!" Skippy playfully complained as he playfully chased Judy's paw off.

And once Judy pulled her paw off from Skippy's head, which fur in between of his ears Judy left from her rubbing a bit messy, Skippy reacted to this by lifting his own paws onto his head and started to rub her messy head fur with his paws fingers forwards, like every boy in his age - not matter with the species - always does so after being rubbed from above of their heads by someone.

And once Skippy's attention was straightening his head fur forward, Nick saw this as an good opportunity for the surprising move from behind onto Skippy...

...and without hesitation nor warning, Nick kneeled down and surprisingly wrapped his arms around of Skippy, causing Skippy to let out the surprised yelp after Nick's arms wrapped around of him, and then Nick lifted Skippy up and placed him to sit onto his left arm.

Unlike with her mother doing that, Skippy actually enjoyed of Nick lifting him up to sit either onto over his neck, onto his shoulder or arm, but hated of being lifted up so surprisingly like Nick just did.

Judy let out the amused giggle of this event, as she jumped back onto her feet.

And after that, and with Skippy sitting on his arm, Nick wrapped his right free arm around of Judy and pulled her closer of himself.

"The case was tricky, but we made it through of it with friendship, teamwork, faith and love. So, I guess that it's all's well that ends well." Nick said, before he let out of the deep sigh.

However...

"ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, HUH?!" Came the loud horse-like bellow out from the house, which caught their attentions as well.

Detective Oates came out from the house, dressed from his shoulders arpund of himself hanging barrel so the news broadcast in the presence nor anyone else cannot see him naked as he started to walk towards his cruiser.

And as Nick did, Oates had also some contusions, bruises and bumps all around of his head from his fight with Nick while he was under Nermal's spell.

"HOW SO IT IS ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL! I HAVE NO CLOTHES AND IT IS SO HARD TO SIT IN THE CAR AND DRIVE WHILE BEING IN THE BARREL LIKE SARDINE!" Oates shouted furiously as he, without taking any eye-contacts with Judy or Nick, passed them.

"I don't know, Oates. But speaking of sardines, maybe you should have disguise yourself for the Halloween Eve into giant sardine in the sardine jar or something, what'd you say?" Nick joked.

Everybody in the presence bursted into the hearty laughter at Oates, as he briefly made the furious eye-contact at Nick, before he turned his back for the large group of at him laughing children.

"I think there's a point in officer Wilde's comment for your current Halloween-costume, Detective… Horse-Butt. Maybe that's a good enough as a minor phunisment for lying to colleagues and deliberately sabotaging the officer's investigation." Bogo said to the passing Oates, who paid as much attention to him as he paid to the bunny-and-fox duo.

And when Oates bowed a bit down to open his cruiser's driver's seat's door...

"Yeah! Especially the giant sardine with the nice red-white heart boxers!" Skippy shouted after Oates as he saw the glance of oates boxers.

The children bursted into the more louder laughter, as they all saw Oates red-white heart boxes peeking from beneath of his barrel, as Oates was forced to bow more down to reach with his car keys to the door's lock and eventually to the handle of his door to open it, even wit hthe risk of showing his ridiculous boxes to the public.

After seeing his boxers, even some of the police officers in the presence, even usually stern, dead-serious and grumpy chief Bogo himself had a bit difficulties to hold back his own laugh, and the news broadcast... all of them bursted into the laugh at Oates.

And once Oates finally managed to unlock and open the door, knowing that he cannot drive the car with the barrel hanging from his shoulders around of it and that there was not point to hide his boxers from everybody anymore after all of them have seen them already, angrily threw the barrel away and sat down to the driver's seat, slammed angrily his car's door close and took off, leaving the laughing group behind as he himself quickly disappeared from the everybody's sight...

...and preparing for the next round of being the target of laughter back in his own home address, which streets were full of mammals from the early of morning to the late of the night.

And after Oates was gone and having enough of laughter, everybody in the presence stopped laughing one by one...

...until there was another silent moment, with the exception of some lone laughing or giggling coming from one or some children from the crown in the yard.

And then, after having successfulkly held back his own laughter and having his own interview finished, chief Bogo called Nick and Judy to come to him.

Nick lowered Skippy off from his arm onto his feet to the ground, giving him yet the wink with his eye, befoe Nick quickly rushed after ahead to the chief.

And after they had reached to him, Bogo turned to both Judy and Nick, especially Nick.

"Well done, officer Wilde. After you have been interviewed by these reporters, may you and officer Hopps return these poor children back to their homes and families? I bet that their parents are sick from the worry and might be extremely relieved and happy to have their missing children back , what's you say?" Chief asked with the proud smile.

Nick raised his thump at chief.

"Roger that, sir." Nick said with the grin on his muzzle.

 **SECONDLY LAST CHAPTER...**


	12. Chapter 12 Final Chapter

**TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 12.** **FINAL CHAPTER**

 **HAPPY ENDING.**

In the morning, when everybody in the city opened their televisions, the first two mammals everybody in front of the television saw were News Anchor for ZNN Fabienne Growley and Peter Moosebridge, when they turned the channel into the news.

"Good morning from ZNN, Zootopia. Last night we've been reported that the street clown magician, Nermal Midas Wolf, has been sentenced to imprisonment, guilty of felony robbery, kidnappings and exploitation of children within two days before and during the Halloween night." Fabienne Growley briefed in the news as the screen turned into the scene, where Fangmeyer and Mchorn were taking handcuffed and angrily at the cameras snarling wolf, angered for his defeat in the paws of the fox.

"Don't worry, Zootopia, Dr. Nermal will return one day... and when Dr. Nermal does, Zootopia will regret the day the city hired the fox as an police officer... and the fox too will regret that day one say! Dr. Nermal swears it! Dr. Nermal will one day have his laugh in the face of the whole city! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hahaa. Dr. Nermal is laughing even now just in case!" Nermal said in front of the cameras, as he was taken into Zootopia's State Zoo-Prison by the officers.

(Outside of the News Channel)

In the prison's recreation room, where into the orange prisoner outfits dressed prisoners werewatching the TV-screen, one of the prisoners took quite interest of Nermal's recent words... and the prisoner was, who else than the ex-mayor of Zootopia, along with the handful of into orange prisoner outfits dressed henchrams named Doug Ramses, Woolter and Jesse, two sheep ex-cops and the sinister ram thug, whose the unsual hero-duo captured during of the Night Howler Incident.

"Accounts to be leveled with the certain duo, eh? Welcome aboard, then, Dr. Nermal." The small sheep with the glasses and large ball of wool above of her head said darkly and with the evil smirk.

(Back in the News Channel)

"His father, Zeke Midas Wolf, the ringmaster of the Halloween circus of the Halloween Town which arrived to the Town Square a couple days before the Halloween Eve, denies any knowledge of his son's falling into the criminal activity, claiming that he believed that his son was only about the use his hypnotism watch, which is the criminal instrument, source of this crime wave and the evidence against his son, for the street magic tricks to amuse the children." Peter Moosebridge briefed.

"Right now, the Hero-cops of the Night Howler Incident, officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, are right now in Nermal's secret hide-out returning all the children who went missing the three night ago to their parents in the Meadowlands." Fabienne continued.

The screen then turned to the yard of Nermal's ex-turf, where Nick walked with the zebra twins, Tony and Bud, from the house to return them to their parents, who were impatiently waiting in the gate in tears out of happiness.

"Tony! Bud! Our little precious children!" Male zebra said in deep happiness as he spreaded with his wife their arms as Tony and Bud rushed towards their parents, and the entire zebra family wrapped their arms around of each others into the family hug.

"We missed you so much!" The zebra mother said happily as she squeezed both of her sons against her, unwilling to let go of them.

And with that, the whole zebra family turned to Nick's direction, with their eyes filled with happiness and gratitude.

"Bless you, fox. Thank you." Both zeebra parents said to Nick, who watched the emotional family-reunion from aside with the smile on his face.

"And now, the hero-cop who just solved the mysterious disappearing of the kidnapped children as well as the whole Candy Theft case and also proved officer Judy Hopps innocence to the theft, which happened two days ago in the Shopping Paradise, is now taking the little speech for the citizens of Zootopia." Fabienne said as the screen turned to Nick, who cleaned his throat at first before started to talk to camera.

"Greetings, citizens of Zootopia. I am officer Nicholas Piderius Wilde, ZPD, but quite simply called as Nick Wilde or Nick whatever. During of solving this case, which of course wasn't as bad as the Night Howler Incident one year and ten months ago, I've still noticed some prejudices towards my kind from some citizens. I know that some of you know my name because of my own part solving the Missing Mammal case and Night Howler Incident but not seen me nor met me by face-to-face. Well, here I am to talking to everyone of you." Nick started.

"Let us say, during of solving this case I just found out that the prejudices were once again the reason why this whole mess happened upon Zootopia before and during of this Halloween Eve. And how the prejudices were the reason of this, it's because of the baddie behind of this case himself, Nermal Midas Wolf, got mercilessly bullied during of his childhood, being called as a "walking meatball" due to his obese appearance and overweight, which were the consequences of his childhood extreme love for the sweets. But Nermal, through of the vegetarian diet, got rid of all prejudices against him after he managed eventually to shake extra weight outta him and be able to perform as a clown-magician in his father's circus before the kids... though in every Halloween Eve he felt himself shocked and sad when he was tasked during of his performance to give the candies for the crowd of children as much as they wanted, when he himself had the harsh limits of it because of his diet. However, when Nermal was twenty-ears-old, everything changed when he experienced the cruel humiliation in front the crowd of children from the hooves of one spoiled pig brat, who deliberately fingered the small fan device hidden in his clothes... which then, when triggered on by the same pig brat, gathered the lots of air inside of Nermal's sealed clothes that it made his clothes to swell like a balloon, and the cruel prank ended up Nermal to be called a "walking meatball" by the children once again. And this… is what drove him to fall into criminal path, along with his during of the diet overgrown obsessive lust of sweets."

"I'll say these three words "Shame on you!" To all of those ones, who were both directly and indirectly involved in this accident two years ago, which apparently drove poor Nermal further into his madness-like obsession for candies, plus presumably indirectly triggering this case in the first place."

"However, I hope that you zootopians have already learned your lesson, that it's all about of prejudices, either towards the species or appearances, which is enough to make from an innocent yet traumatically bullied fox like me to turn into the con-artist before becoming the police officer, from a shy, innocent-looking and sweet little sheep like Dawn Bellwether into bloodthirsty criminal mastermind of Night Howler Incident and terrorist, the enemy of peace and harmony of Zootopia number one and from the sweets-loving innocent wolf into crazed yet ruthless child exploiter. And I'm telling you, the more we try to avoid targeting prejudices and traumatic bullying against the innocent and only good wanting mammals in the future, we'll be able to avoid having even more the criminal masterminds, terrorists and child exploiter… even though this does not ensure that our city will be safe from the everyday criminal activity, what we're gonna face in the future. As one of those who have experienced such a thing and received the deeply affecting traumas caused by the prejudice and mercilessly cruel bullying, I hope that I was able to make myself clear to all the citizens. Nick said to camera.

(Outside of the News Channel)

The certain prisoner with the big glasses and ball of wool upon her head didn't take kindly of Nick's words in the live broadcast.

"Bloodthirsty criminal mastermind of Night Howler Incident and terrorist, the enemy of peace and harmony of Zootopia number one? Hey, I'm not bloodthirsty terrorist, you damned flea-eaten red pooch! I was just trying with my actions and with the help of those pretty flowers to make Zootopia the safe and perfect place for everybody... in the side of the prey, of course." The small sheep complained.

"Safe place? You said that our scheme was supposed to be in the sake of prey and the prey's safety, then what about that moose, who was severely mauled by that injected polar bear in Tundratown? Didn't you said once that that the accident that moose experienced was... what was that word... a meaningless side-effect?" One of the sheep's henchrams reminded.

"And when you attempted to inject that fox to kill that bunny cop back in the Natural History Museum and yet you laughed at it, wasn't there a bit bloodthirsty tone in it?" Another henchram asked.

After those questions, the small sheep rolled her eyes before she jumped on her feet in the chair and grabbed from both of her henchrans ears, pulling them downwards and making the sheeps to whimper in pain.

"Oh, stuff your mouths with your wool, you wool-brains!" The small sheep sternly ordered, as she eventually released her grip from their ears and settled back to sit down onto the chair, with her arms crossed and cranky look in her face.

(Back in the News Channel)

"And finally, I want to say that I wasn't the only one who solved this case. I know that my partner Judy Hopps was under the hypnosis effects during of this entire case, which meant that I had not partner to help me to solve this case. But...

Nick paused, as he bowed down and lifted Skippy from the ground in front of the camera to show him to the city.

...I got some little help with this little buddy partner, Skippy Speedleg. Say hello to camera, Skippy."

"Hi." Skippy said waving his paw at the camera.

"Let us say that without his help, I would've never solved this case within two days, which I pleaded as reprieve for Judy Hopps when there was false charges against her for the robbery in the Shopping Paradise and when she was in danger to be thrown in the jail for the crime which she didn't even commit. But now, when the case is solved, kidnapped children returned to their families, the stolen candies been recovered, Nermal in the jail and officer Judy Hopps released from her charges, I'll say that it is all's well that ends well." Nick finished.

"But, because this was perhaps a little twee end, I decided to do this at the end not only happy but also quite sweet, for all those kidnapped children as well as for those ones who are the victims of the candy thefts in the Halloween Eve! It's in the Town Square in the few days after Halloween Town is gone. So, welcome!" Nick declared.

"Bye then, officer Nick Wilde has spoken." Nick added, as he disappeared along with Skippy from the screen.

 **In the Town Square after a few days.**

Using some of the money that Nick had acquired during of his days as con-artist - some of which he had used to pay his tax debts, for charitable purposes and for other good things - Nick had ordered a giant wooden platform with the one large and deep swimming pool to be imported to in the middle of the Town Square as his surprise for the kids of Zootopia. And onto the large platform was able to go through of the causeway, which was in the platform's west-side, while another causeway was in the east-side and served as a exit from the platform.

Nick and Judy they had voluntarily agreed to watch after the children's doings, to make sure that nobody does not accidentally hurt themselves, because the platform was a quite high from the ground. And just in case for the children's safety, the edges of the platform were fenced with the wooden fences to prevent the kids from falling overboard.

And there was by Nick's call in TV dozens and dozens of mammal children gathered onto the platform with their parents from all around of Savanna Central and the entire Zootopia.

And to children's delight, the swimming pool was filled by the thousands of stolen candies, and with a little extra from all Zootopia's candy stores.

"My children! Please enjoy for the swimming! But not too much confectionery and remember to wash your teeth after eating." Nick declared in the mike.

And with that, the children let out the loud cheer as to jump onto the swimming pool into the sea of candies. And within ten minutes the pool of candies was full of in the hundreds of candies swimming children, who either swam in the ocean of candies or ate the sweets from it.

Also Barbara's children were among of them.

"Come on, Uncle Nick and aunt Judy, before the best parts in the bottom are exported." Said in the candies half-buried Skippy with his mouth full of candies, catching Judy and Nick's attention.

Judy chuckled heartily at this as she turned to Nick, who had already the wide smile on his lips - plus the water on tongue.

"Well, what do you say, Slick Nick? Aren't we… well, mostly you, of course… little deserved even a handful of sweets after all this hard work solving our last case? Or should we leave this fun for the children and skip it for this once, because we two happen to be the only adults in here and yet you meant for the children, didn't you?" Judy asked from Nick.

Nick pretented to be shocked of Judy's words by gasping and nearly lifting his paw over his mouth.

"You're kidding? Of course we earn some reward for hard working and it's not in the form of one pawful, Fluf! Besides, a little free time for swimming in the candies is always a good thing for you." Nick said, even though he knew far too well that eating as much candy as you just want is of course not good thing... except if the eating a candy is regulated.

And then, Nick kneeled down onto his left knee in next to Judy.

"And believe me, Carrots… Anybody probably wants to dive into this pool with a mouth open." Nick added with the sly smile.

And then, unexpectedly to Judy, Nick wrapped his left arm around of Judy's waist, lifting her up from the ground and jumped into the pool of candies, and laughing the duo joined to having fun with Skippy and the rest of the children.

This was followed for the whole day swimming in the candies, laughing, playing and eating as much candies as they wanted. And it all ended happily to only one last interjection.

"HAPPY POST-HALLOWEEN TO EVERYBODY!"

 **THE END.**


End file.
